Discovering Hidden Joy on Our Average Days with Tish Harrison Warren

For many of us, the possibility of joy can feel intimidating or unattainable. Sometimes elusive and hard to pin down, we wonder if joy is simply a feeling or if it could involve our emotions in any substantial way.

In this episode of The Digital Examen, Jay Y. Kim welcomes Anglican priest and author Tish Harrison Warren, whose books Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night have resonated with thousands searching for meaning in the everyday journey of faith.

Together, they probe our cultural inability to sustain our attention to both God and life itself. Warren talks candidly about what happens to our souls when our capacity to contemplate is lost, how we can overanalyze moments of revival, and how we are often not very effective at talking about biblical joy. By confronting our fear of encountering God in the intimate setting of the mundane, they affirm that God desires to meet with and speak to us on any given Wednesday. As they share stories of family life and honest reflections on burnout, they uncover that true joy is both deeply spiritual and rooted in our human experiences.

Tune into this conversation for an invitation to discover God’s sacramental joy even on your most ordinary days.

This episode highlights the following themes:
✅ Why “ordinary” days are sacred
✅ Joy as a gift, practice, and a muscle
✅ Honest hope when everything feels like it’s falling apart

Links from this episode:
✅ Learn more about Tish Harrison Warren (www.ivpress.com/tish-harrison-warren)
✅ Read Liturgy of the Ordinary (www.ivpress.com/liturgy-of-the-ordinary) and Prayer in the Night (www.ivpress.com/prayer-in-the-night) by Tish Harrison Warren
✅ Check out Tish Harrison Warren’s upcoming book: What Grows in Weary Lands (amzn.to/4pwEMbH)
✅ Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/1j3P48x_O0bGLiHpstLTY88o4b2n-AGd9/view)

Preorder The Pace of Peace (www.ivpress.com/the-pace-of-peace) by Jay Y. Kim
Learn more about The Digital Examen (www.ivpress.com/)
Learn more about your host, Jay Y. Kim (jaykimthinks.com/)
Listen to Meditations from The Digital Examen (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meditations-from-the-digital-examen/id1777487307)
Download a Guide to The Examen (www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/digital-examen-podcast/The-Examen.pdf)

Slowing down in a culture of speed isn’t easy. Noticing in an age of distraction might be even harder. But walking intentionally with God happens at the pace of peace, leading us to that which often feels elusive: joy and delight. In this season of The Digital Examen podcast, host Jay Y. Kim joins an array of writers, educators, artists, and theologians to explore the many gifts God offers just beneath the surface of our frenzied lives, often hidden in plain view. Together, we’ll discover that a life marked by joy and delight is available to any and all who would slow down and notice.

SPECIAL OFFER | Visit ivpress.com (www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/digital-examen-podcast/The-Examen.pdf) and use the code IVPEXAMEN40 for 40% off and free shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

Credits:
✅ Consulting Producer: Helen Lee
✅ Producers: Christine Pelliccio Melo and Travis Albritton
✅ Assistant Producer: Jack Reece
✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts (honestpodcasts.com/)
✅ Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne
✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard and Elsbette San Blas
✅ Theme Song: "For They Will Inherit the Earth" by Stephen Keech

==== Time Stamps ====

00:00 – Introduction
04:36 – About Tish Harrison Warren
06:32 – Why Our Attention Matters and What We Lose When We’re Distracted
12:26 – The Struggle to Find God in the Ordinary
21:56 – Rethinking Revival, Renewal, and Ordinary Faithfulness
31:10 – Joy as Gift, Practice, and Muscle
39:12 – Noticing Joy in Every Season
43:21 – Lessons from Desert Mothers and Fathers
49:28 – Honest Blessing for the Burnt Out Heart

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

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