NW Valley Times

Christian author and minister John Eldredge addressed students and faculty via Zoom on Thursday, discussing "Christian Resilience." The event was organized by Dr. Matthew Nolen, chair of the Grand Canyon University Communications Department, and adjunct faculty Milissa Hutloff.

Nolen recalled reading Eldredge's best-seller "Wild at Heart" during his college years. However, it was Eldredge's recent work, "Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times," that prompted the invitation for him to speak.

"The timing is good after the election and before finals to highlight spiritual practices and how they can practice resilience," Nolen stated.

During his lecture, Eldredge presented four tools aimed at helping students, faculty, and staff navigate daily challenges. He emphasized the importance of practicing benevolent detachment from worldly worries. "'Benevolent' because it's done in love – it's not cynicism, anger... Detachment means to let people go," he explained.

Eldredge encouraged listeners to recognize and renounce negative internal narratives. "We get into rhythms that have no recovery because we are in agreement with those narratives," he said. He urged attendees to ask God for guidance in identifying these narratives.

He also highlighted the significance of engaging with the real world rather than digital environments. "All of us spend most of our life in a digital world. It is not good for the soul," he remarked.

Finally, Eldredge spoke about building sacred rhythms into one's life to align with God's presence. He advised against immediately reaching for phones upon waking up and suggested starting the day with prayer instead.

Concluding his talk, Eldredge emphasized that all practices aim to repair one's union with God daily.

Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]