Soil and Roots

10/14/2026

“Just try harder.” We hear it everywhere—even in church. But what happens when our best efforts don’t change the anger, pain, or patterns we wish we could leave behind? Brian Fisher explores how relying on willpower can leave us feeling defective when our struggles reach deeper into our wounds, identity, and unmet desires.

Drawing from his own struggle with anger, Brian considers a different invitation: listening to what our hearts are revealing, grieving our losses, and allowing Jesus’ love into the places we can’t seem to change. Becoming more like Him involves more than effort. It also involves surrender, even while our questions and longings remain unresolved.

Read "Just Do It" on the Soil and Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/5ncn9

10/12/2026

Here's the truth: God not only loves you, He likes you.

Check out the new episode of the Soil and Roots podcast on Spotify and YouTube.

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10/09/2026

The false self is always performing, trying to earn approval and avoid rejection. But real transformation begins when we stop hiding behind our achievements and allow ourselves to be loved.

Check out the new episode of the Soil and Roots podcast on Spotify and YouTube.

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10/09/2026

We have more access to biblical teaching than ever before. Sermons, podcasts, books, Bible studies, and resources are always within reach.

But **knowing the truth and being formed by the truth are not the same thing.**

Christian formation requires more than instruction. We need **time, habit, community, intimacy, and instruction** working together to shape us into people who are becoming more like Jesus.

The goal isn’t simply to know more about Jesus. It’s to **love Him more deeply, experience His presence, grow in our relationships, and become more like Him.**

In a deeply disconnected age, perhaps discipleship can help lead the way toward deeper connection—with God, others, ourselves, and His creation.

Read "The Disconnected Disciple" on the Soil and Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/5mpmm

Biblically Sound but Relationally Broken?

10/09/2026

Most people who follow Jesus have heard that God loves them.

But do we live in the idea that He actually likes us?

By “like,” we don’t mean that God merely finds us agreeable. We mean something much deeper: Does He enjoy being with us? Does He delight in us? Does He welcome our presence and desire our company—or does He mostly tolerate us while waiting for us to become more disciplined, holy, useful, or spiritually mature?

In Episode 148, Brian explores another hidden idea of God that can quietly shape our spiritual lives even when our theology says something very different.

We look at David Benner’s simple but revealing question: Imagine God thinking about you. What do you assume He feels?

For many of us, the immediate answer isn’t joy. It’s disappointment.

We explore how family patterns, churches, performance cultures, and the false self can shape us to believe God’s approval must be earned. We also consider why genuine spiritual transformation doesn’t begin with becoming impressive enough for God to delight in us—it begins when we experience His delight before we change.

God not only loves you. He likes you.

Check out the new episode of the Soil and Roots podcast on Spotify and YouTube.

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YouTube: https://vist.ly/5mmzi

10/07/2026

Are Christians supposed to expect the world to get worse?

In this episode, Brian Fisher examines Christian fatalism and the widespread belief that cultural decline and despair are inevitable. He explores how assumptions about the future influence discipleship, hope, mission, and engagement with the world.

Many Christians have inherited end-times perspectives that shape how they view culture, politics, and the future without realizing it.

In this episode:

• Christian eschatology and discipleship
• The effects of fatalism
• The Kingdom of God and hope
• Cultural engagement and mission
• Why ideas about the future matter

If you've ever wondered how your end-times beliefs affect your everyday life, this conversation offers a different perspective.

Subscribe for more conversations on deep discipleship and Kingdom living.

10/01/2026

Are we really making disciples?

Jesus didn’t call us simply to make converts, but to form people who are becoming more like Him.

True discipleship takes more than a weekly service or a Bible study. It involves time, habit, community, intimacy, and instruction—the same elements that shape us in other areas of life.

The Great Commission calls us into a lifelong journey of becoming like Jesus.

Read "The Great Omission" on the Soil and Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/5kkne

Are We Really Making Disciples?

09/29/2026

What is the Kingdom of God, and why did Jesus talk about it so often?

The Kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesus' teaching, yet many Christians struggle to define it. In this episode, Brian Fisher explores the nature of God's Kingdom and how it affects life right now.

Rather than viewing the Kingdom as merely a future destination, Jesus described it as a present reality available to anyone willing to follow Him.

In this episode:

• What the Kingdom of God is
• Why Jesus focused on the Kingdom
• The relationship between discipleship and the Kingdom
• How God's reign changes daily life
• Why the Kingdom remains misunderstood

If you've ever wondered what Jesus meant by the Kingdom of God, this episode provides a practical introduction.

Subscribe for more conversations on deep discipleship and Kingdom living.

09/25/2026

Churches teach, gather, serve, and evangelize with great energy, yet many Christians still feel spiritually unchanged. The Great Omission helps explain why: we talk about making disciples but often lack the relational, immersive conditions that form people to increasingly think, act, relate, and love like Jesus.

Read "The Need for Deep People" on the Soil and Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/5ju85

Updated resource: This article has been expanded and incorporated into a new evergreen piece on Soil & Roots: Why Churches Struggle to Make Deep Disciples.

09/23/2026

Many Christians can explain how to get to heaven, yet struggle to explain the central message Jesus proclaimed throughout His ministry. In this episode of Soil & Roots, Brian Fisher explores the Gospel of the Kingdom and why recovering Jesus' original message changes the way we understand salvation, discipleship, spiritual formation, and everyday life with God.

Rather than reducing the gospel to forgiveness alone, Jesus announced the arrival of God's Kingdom and invited people into a new way of living under His reign.

In this episode:

• What Jesus meant by the Gospel of the Kingdom
• Why many Christians misunderstand the gospel
• The relationship between salvation and discipleship
• How the Kingdom of God changes everyday life
• Why the gospel is bigger than getting to heaven

If you've ever sensed that there's more to Christianity than you've been told, this conversation offers a richer vision of the good news.

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