362: Jeff Crosby and Longings of the Soul

What does your soul long for? Have you ever been hit with a wave of longing, at a loss for words for what to call it?

What if I told you that those moments are deeply formational and there's even special word for it?

Our guest today says that those longings of the soul need special attention and calls us to listen up.

Jeff Crosby is the president and CEO of ECPA, the trade association of Christian publishing, and the author of “The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts,” published by Broadleaf Books. Today, Jeff shares how he found mentorship in his father-in-law, the season of life when his faith moved to more spiritual formation focused, and where he discovered the words to describe that soul level longing for Jesus to make all things right.

Jeff's story reminds us that our faith is already and not yet but that Jesus can be trusted to meet us in the longing.

Listen to Jeff's story in your favorite podcast app today!

Stories Jeff shared:

• Growing up in Indiana and other places
• Going to Ball State University and meeting his wife
• Remembering going to church occasionally but not regularly
• Responding to the Gospel at church camp
• Hopping on the church bus to keep going to church on his own
• Being mentored by his father-in-law
• How the recommended books he received shaped him
• The moment he looked into the mirror and noticed something changed
• Discovering spiritual practices and how they helped him
• What he learned from the psalms
• Recovering part of his identity as a creator of words
• The longings we all feel
• The Portuguese word saudade, and the idea of longing
• How to identify your longings and invite the Lord into them

Great quotes from Jeff:

When we are operating out of a strong sense of who God has made us to be, it isn’t hard, it’s joy.

"If those are my longings, how has God met me in them, which is different than saying, 'How has God met them?'"

Be in touch with the longings of your heart and the ways God is leading you in the midst of them.

Resources we mentioned:

• Jeff’s website
• The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts by Jeff Crosby
• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• Basic Christianity by John Stott
• The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalogue by James Sire
• Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Related episodes:

• Suzanne Stabile Shares How the Enneagram Helps Relationships
• James Bryan Smith and Loved Beyond Imagination
• Douglas Groothuis and The Twilight of the Soul