Are You Settling for “Less Than”? (Greg Holder ep. 294)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
John O'Leary
4.9 • 672 Ratings
🗓️ 1 October 2020
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Twenty years ago, Greg Holder left corporate America because of an unyielding ache to make a difference.
Since then, Greg has been lead pastor of The Crossing, non-denominational church, passionately calling tens of thousands of people from a diverse spiritual backgrounds to consider what it means to follow Jesus in today's world.
Today, Greg shares how many slowly, over-time begin to lead less satisfying, less fulfilling, less hopeful lives and how to break that cycle.
This conversation will remind you that your life has significance and you have the potential to change the world through your life’s impact.
SHOW NOTES:
- Over 20 years ago, Greg left corporate after being called to be a pastor because of a longing desire to make a difference.
- We're living in a VUCA - volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguious - world.
- “People are longing for a world view that gives us a way out of a VUCA world, while acknowledging we’re in it.”
- Here I stand, I can do no other. Greg leans on his trusted community to collaborate when he’s being called into something more.
- Faith is not living in denial.
- Desire to flourish yet accept settling: We play it safe and surround ourselves with people exactly like us and attempt to blend in by being ghosts of ourselves because we forget we were made to make a difference.
- It’s not doubt that’s toxic to faith. It’s silence. By getting permission to ask hard questions, particularly in faith, Greg has been able to explore the answers, even when their may not be “answers”.
- “My dad left a legacy that I don’t think he fully appreciated. He set off so many chain reactions of love and goodness.”
- Spend less, give more. As part of Advent Conspiracy movement, thousands of people have chosen to celebrate Christmas in a counter-cultural way.
- Greg shares the story of a son who gifted his dad coffee beans with a note requesting they only drink the coffee together while having meaningful conversations.
- The open-handed generosity + hospitality Greg recieved while doing mission work around the globe has been life-changing for him. "I’ve been on the receiving end of meals that I know cost more than any meal I’ve served to a guest. That’s as humbling as it gets."
- Cultivate a culture of listening. In these particular days, Greg seeks to continue to learn by having conversations where truth can be spoken and where we listen to each other.
- Learn more about Greg Holder here.
- Get a copy of Greg Holder's book Never Settle.
GREG HOLDER'S LIVE INSPIRED 7
1. What is the best book you’ve ever read? A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman and the Bible.
[John asked Greg what book of the Bible he recommends for listeners. If you’re looking to get familiar with the voice of Jesus, Greg recommends Matthew, Mark, Luke or John of the New Testament, or the Book of Philippians.]
2. What is a characteristic or trait that you possessed as a child that you wish you still exhibited today? Be less self-conscious + be freer.
3. Your house is on fire, all living things and people are out. You have the opportunity to run in and grab one item. What would it be? Two journals I kept from my daughters first year away at college.
4. You are sitting on a bench overlooking a gorgeous beach. You have the opportunity to have a long conversation with anyone living or dead. Who would it be? C.S. Lewis and I'd ask him to tell me about his writing process.
5. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Lean into the gifts you have and stop trying to be someone you’re not.
6. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self? Trust Him sooner. Jump into the story with both feet
7. It’s been said that all great people can have their lives summed up in one sentence. How do you want yours to read? He followed Jesus fully and loved his friends with all his heart.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before we get started, a message from our friends at Keely Companies. |
| 0:04.5 | Keely Companies wholeheartedly believes that if you get the right people, the results will follow. |
| 0:10.8 | They set themselves apart with a forward-thinking culture that empowers their people and fosters loyal partnerships. |
| 0:18.3 | They are also proud sponsors, partners, and super fans of this podcast. |
| 0:24.7 | Welcome to the Live Inspired podcast with John O'Leary. John is the number one national best-selling |
| 0:31.6 | author of the book On Fire. He's a world-class inspirational speaker and he's the host of the Live |
| 0:36.9 | Inspired podcast. |
| 0:38.6 | John interviews extraordinary individuals on their life story so that you can wake up from |
| 0:44.1 | accidental living and more fully live your life story. Here's your host, John O'Leary. |
| 0:50.4 | Well, my friends, welcome to the live-inspired podcast with John O'Leary. I feel like I begin |
| 0:56.6 | almost every episode by letting you know that you are in for a treat. But I'm going to begin this one |
| 1:02.0 | by letting you know, you are in for a treat. This is going to be an awesome one. His name is Greg |
| 1:07.8 | Holder. He serves as lead pastor at the crossing. It's a church in St. Louis |
| 1:13.1 | that reaches nearly 10,000 individuals online and in person every week. He's also just released |
| 1:19.5 | a book that we'll be discussing today. It's titled, Never Settle. I think that one is going to |
| 1:24.7 | play in many of our worlds right now, this idea of never settling. |
| 1:34.1 | It reminds us that while we don't consciously choose a less than life, it often happens. |
| 1:45.9 | Little by little, we accept a life that is less than satisfying, less than interesting, less than helpful, and less than hopeful in particular right now. Before we know it, |
| 1:52.8 | our faith, our relationships, our life, they become lukewarm, they become apathetic, they become bland, and they begin to move toward death. But we're called DeMore. So let's talk about more with |
| 1:59.5 | a great pastor and a friend. |
| 2:01.3 | His name is Greg Holder and Greg, before I bring you on to stage, before I bring you |
| 2:06.4 | on to the Live Inspired podcast, my first introduction to you was through a friend named Mr. |
... |
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