UR 141: True Spirituality is Desperation — Erik Guzman

Tray and Mel are joined by Erik Guzman to discuss spirituality, his new book, and have an honest conversation about the beauty of Christianity. Erik discusses how various people he has had the opportunity to speak with have impacted his life and put him on a path of discovery. Jesus takes us into not just the blatant stuff but the nuances of our brokenness and that really shows us the beauty and amazingness of Christ's Grace. Erik discusses his mini book The Gift of Addiction and how true Spirituality is just desperation. Even though it is messy and hard, working in addiction shows that desperation and how to let the Gospel work in their lives. In a labyrinth, there are no dead ends, if you follow the path you will always end up at the center of it. I thought at first that this represented my walk with God but then I got a thought that was definitely from outside myself. I was the one at the center of the labyrinth and Christ was walking to get to me. I had built this wall, this labyrinth for him to walk and sometimes he would come closer to the center and other times he would be sent further from it, but He is always coming for me.There is no way that He would not be able to reach me in that labyrinth. Another example of this is building your own prison with your own life and when the circumstances of life start to destroy your prison, we begin to double down on that prison. Slowly the vines begin to come in and break down those walls further. What you don't realize about those vines, the seeds of those vines are planted by God's love. What feels like death and destruction of your life is actually freeing you from your prison. That shadow you've been running to is cast by a light and if you turn towards the light you don't see the shadow. Erik is the author of The Gift of Addiction, a book that dives into the healing elements of pain in our lives, and also The Seed: A True Myth. He is VP of Communications & Executive Producer at Key Life Network. Erik is co-host of the nationally syndicated talk show Steve Brown, Etc. and announcer for Key Life. He has a BA in Mass Communication, an MBA, and is perpetually working toward a Masters in Theological Studies. Erik's wife tolerates his insanity and his three children enjoy it. Erik is also a drummer, a 5th degree black belt in Aikido, and a self-obsessed over-achiever who can't stop talking about himself.