Heath Hardesty on How Imagination Shapes the Way We See the World, the Disintegration of Our Present Age, and His Book All Things Together
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On today's episode we welcome Heath Hardesty, Lead Pastor of Valley Community Church in Pleasanton, California, and author of All Things Together: How Apprenticeship to Jesus Is the Way of Flourishing in a Fragmented World. Heath's journey into pastoral ministry began as a plumber's apprentice and eventually grew into an apprenticeship of a different kind, one where he learned to follow the call of Jesus and eventually to shepherd a local church.
This conversation traces Heath's story, from studying literature and theology, playing in bands, and apprenticing under his plumber father, before a moment of encounter through the Scripture stirred his heart toward a life in the pastorate. Jason and Heath explore Heath’s book All Things Together which offers a vision of Christian apprenticeship built on union, abiding, obeying, and imaging and they discuss why imagination shapes the way we inhabit the world, the role of story in a fragmented age, and what it means to re-inhabit reality in the way of Jesus.
In this episode you'll hear:
Heath's journey from a plumber's truck and a music career to the pastorate,
How a moment under a sink, holding an orange-painted wrench like his father, became his inspiration for All Things Together,
Why apprenticeship to Jesus is the essence of being human, not an optional "side quest" for mature Christians,
What disintegration looks like in our culture and in our souls, and why our age acts as an amplifier of fragmentation,
The role of story and imagination in helping people re-inhabit reality in the way of Jesus,
Why "technique" and efficiency are at odds with being stewards of the mysteries of God,
How the greatest gift a pastor brings to a congregation may simply be the person they are becoming.
For every pastor learning the slow craft of shepherding, this conversation offers a frame for the work, and a reminder that you, too, are an apprentice. May it encourage you wherever you're serving.
Heath Hardesty
Heath Hardesty serves as the lead pastor of Valley Community Church and is a founder of Inklings Coffee & Tea in the heart of downtown Pleasanton, California. He is the author of All Things Together: How Apprenticeship to Jesus is the Way of Flourishing in a Fragmented World. Heath grew up in a blue-collar home and was a plumber’s apprentice in Colorado before becoming a pastor on the edge of Silicon Valley where he, his wife, and four kids now reside. He holds degrees in literature, pastoral leadership, biblical studies, and theology from the University of Colorado Boulder and Western Seminary in Portland.
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