John Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast
Welcome to John Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast! In each episode, we explore the transformative power of resilience principles, deepening your Christian faith while enhancing your daily life, relationships, and spiritual journey. John Thurman shares bite-sized insights and actionable strategies to empower you as you navigate life's challenges.
Whether you're seeking strength in adversity or a closer connection to your beliefs, this Shortcast provides the inspiration and tools needed for personal growth. With impactful stories and practical tips, John aims to guide you from victimhood to triumph. Dedicated to mental health awareness, he combines faith-based principles with resilience strategies, equipping you for a meaningful life. Tune in to discover how resilience can become your greatest ally on your path to a fulfilling and spirited life!
Subscribe now and take the first step towards building a stronger, more resilient you!
CONTACT JOHN. Email: john@covertmercy.com. Website:www.johnthurman.net
John Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast
The Christian's Guide to Developing a Growth Mindset: 10 Practical Steps to Transform Your Life
What colors paint your mental landscape? Are they vibrant and life-giving, or dull and limiting? In this thought-provoking exploration of mindset, John Thurman weaves ancient wisdom and modern psychological research to offer a uniquely Christian perspective on personal growth and transformation.
Drawing from the profound words of Marcus Aurelius that "your soul takes on the color of your thoughts," alongside biblical warnings against double-mindedness, Thurman creates a compelling case for developing what psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck calls a "growth mindset." He contrasts the limitations of a fixed mindset—believing talents and abilities are static—with the liberating perspective that we can grow through effort, learning, and perseverance.
The episode walks listeners through biblical examples of growth mindset in action, from Deborah's courageous leadership and David's journey from shepherd to king, to Ruth's risk-taking adventure and Peter's remarkable transformation after his failures. These stories illuminate how faith and psychological principles complement our spiritual development.
Most valuably, Thurman provides ten practical, actionable strategies for cultivating a growth mindset within a Christian framework. These range from embracing spiritual growth as a lifelong journey and viewing challenges as opportunities to journaling insights and actively engaging with a church community. Each strategy is grounded in scripture while incorporating evidence-based approaches to mindset transformation.
Ready to break free from limiting beliefs and experience the vibrant colors of transformed thinking? Subscribe to John Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast and discover how aligning your mindset with biblical truth can revolutionize your personal life, relationships, and faith.
Link to Morning with Monette, "From Victim to Victor Mindset"
Link to John's Blog "10 Ways You Can Develop a Growth Mindset"
John Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast, season 4, episode 13, 10 Ways you Can Develop a Growth Mindset. Hello, my name is John Thurman and welcome to my podcast, john Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast, and today I'll be talking about the importance of understanding mindset from a Christian perspective. Thanks for joining me as we explore how our thoughts shape our lives through the lens of faith. The Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said the things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. That's a great quote. I'd like to ask you what are the colors of your thoughts? Are they muted? Are they kind of flat? Are they a blend of colors, some brightness, some darkness, something that's appealing to the soul? Well, in this podcast today, I'll give you some tools on how to fix that. We'll look at the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The Bible talks about the instability of being double-minded, urging us instead to be clear-minded and mission-focused. So today we're going to review the fixed mindset and a growth mindset and then I'm going to give you 10 tools you can use to begin to strengthen up that growth mindset. So glad you joined me today. Let's jump right in. I'm really excited to be with you today and talk about mindset. This is something I've been studying for a number of years, and, even though we see a lot of references to mindset in the Bible, there's been recent research over the past 10 or 12 years that has really opened up this whole field.
John:Mindset refers to beliefs and attitudes that shape our thoughts, our perceptions and our responses to the world around us. You see, our mindset significantly impacts our behaviors, decisions-makings, our relationship and interactions with the Lord and with one another. One of the things I've noticed in a lot of people's lives, including mine sometime is this struggle with being double-minded. This concept is talked about in several different pieces of ancient literature, from the Iliad and the Odyssey to the scriptures, and the idea of this double-mindedness means that a person has a hard time sticking to their decisions, sticking by their guns, so to speak, and it basically has to do with the fact that a person struggles with indecisiveness. They struggle to commit to a course of action, to a certain value or belief. They tend to be kind of wishy-washy, if you will, and the Bible warns against this state of mind, as it can lead to confusion and instability. By recognizing the nature of being double-minded, it encourages us to seek clarity and steadfastness, guiding us towards a more focused, fulfilling and intentional life.
John:Let me just share a scripture with you here that kind of reminds us about being double-minded, and then we're going to jump into some of the recent research on mindset. The New Testament, book of James, the first chapter, verses five through eight, says if you need wisdom, ask our generous God, who will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. However, when you ask him, ensure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with a divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. So people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, making them unstable in everything they do. Wow, that's some strong truth, isn't it?
John:I believe this passage really emphasizes the importance of commitment and focus, establishing a foundation for examining our mindset, which is crucial for personal and spiritual growth. Folks, it's really important. We jump in and, once again, as Marcus Aurelius said, the things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. Well, there's been some fascinating research, as I mentioned earlier A few years ago, dr Carolyn Dweck, a New York bestselling author and psychologist, wrote a book called Mindset. The New Psychology of Success Found some fascinating studies in that, and she determined that people have two basic mindsets. The first is a fixed mindset and the second is a growth mindset. So let me just give you a quick review of what those are and, by the way, you can find all this on my blog and there are links in the show notes, or you can go directly to my website. First of all, let's talk about what a fixed mindset is.
John:People with a fixed mindset believe that they possess a certain level of talent and intelligence that can't be changed. They believe that this is the hand I've been dealt, these are the cards I've got, that's it. Lots of luck. This belief can really hinder personal growth and development. A lot of people that struggle with a fixed mindset often avoid challenges. They quit really quickly, they give up. They feel discouraged when they fall short of their expectations and they tend to do a lot of negative thinking. Sometimes they'll do a lot of what we call catastrophic thinking or awfulizing.
John:Unfortunately, many Christians may find themselves trapped in this mindset negative thinking. Sometimes they'll do a lot of what we call catastrophic thinking or awfulizing. Unfortunately, many Christians may find themselves trapped in this mindset. They believe that nothing can change, they're eternally predestined to their lot in life, and that really does contradict the biblical truth. God allows us choices and in America you have the opportunities to exercise those choices in ways that no other country can. But if you have a fixed mindset, you feel stuck. You feel like, well, this is it, this is all I got to work with, this is my intelligence, this is my lot in life, and I would encourage you, if you think that, give it up, please. There are so many things you can experience if you just shift the mindset. If you feel stuck and sucked into depression. There are some things you can do to get out of depression with your thought life, with your diet, with exercise, maybe with counseling, maybe with medication. But you don't have to stay stuck.
John:I remember years ago I heard an old preacher talking about this frog that had been stuck in a rut for years and his friends would hop by and go Bert, when are you going to get out of that rut? And Bert just said well, this is my lot in life. I'm predetermined and predestined to be a rut frog. They went. Well, okay, come join us anytime you want to. Well, a few weeks passed and they were hopping down the path and Bert was out of the path and he was all excited. He said, bert, what are you doing out of your rut? Well, I had to make some choices. When you saw that big tractor tire coming towards me when the farmer was going to plow his fields, I had to make a choice. Do I want to die or move out? You see, bert was trapped in that fixed mindset, but his situation changed due to external pressures and he lived happily ever after with his friends. Folks, if you're stuck in a rut right now, you can choose to get out of it.
John:Well, let's talk about a growth mindset. That's the contrast to a person that believes that that's all there is. This is the hand I've been dealt. I got to play with what I've got. Well, a growth mindset embraces the belief that abilities, faith and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning and perseverance. Now, we can't earn our salvation Don't don't get me wrong on that one but we have opportunities to grow and be enriched and to make changes in our life and others is adaptable and full of potential Through faith, motivation, focused attention, hard work and being a lifelong learner, we can pursue the necessary changes we need to make in our life. You can do this, guys and gals, I promise you. Those of us who are working on a growth mindset realize that if one approach doesn't work, we can try something else. It means that I can push, push, push, push, push and try and try and try, and if it doesn't work, I don't quit, I just look for another method. Well, I want to shift here for a few minutes and talk about spiritual growth and the concept of a growth mindset.
John:As a Christian mental health professional, I believe the Bible consistently encourages us to pursue a growth mindset. God is actively involved in our journey. He is in active pursuit of us and wants us to experience a life of meaning and purpose and mission, and part of that involves being actively engaged in having a growth mindset. Let's look at a couple of scriptures that really, or maybe some stories that, amplify this. First of all, if we look at Deborah in Judges 4 and 5, one of the really interesting things about Deborah is that she was Israel's only female judge. Deborah led her people through crises, demonstrating a growth mindset by encouraging Barak to trust God for the victory. Really interesting story there. I'd encourage you to read it. So Deborah is a great example of a growth mindset.
John:Let's take David. King David's journey from shepherd to king illustrates growth through challenges, as he consistently sought God for guidance and mercy. Now, david is no perfect person. One of the beautiful things about scripture is you get to learn about the people of the Bible, warts and all, which, for Elise, gives me hope. I've got a couple of more characters I want to talk about, and then we'll wrap this segment up with 10 ways to cultivate a growth mindset.
John:Next in the Scripture is Ruth. Ruth's story is an incredible journey of an incredible woman who is part of the Lord Jesus' family lineage. If you will, if you've never read the book of Ruth, let me encourage you to do that. It's a pretty quick read. It's a story filled with risk and adventure and, ultimately, love and God's provision, and it really gives us a great example of what it means to be resilient. And Ruth, once again, is one of the ancestors of Jesus. And then there's, finally, the Apostle Peter who, despite denying Jesus, he overcame his mistakes, accepted God's forgiveness, ultimate becoming a pivotal leader in the church.
John:Before we jump into 10 ways to cultivate your growth mindset. You can follow the links in the show notes to go to the blog and get all this information down. Well, let's talk about 10 ways that you can cultivate a growth mindset. Number one embrace the journey. Understand that spiritual growth is a lifelong process, evolving through your experiences as you deepen your relationship with the Lord, get to know other believers and get exposure to the scripture.
John:Number two pray for growth. Seek God's transformation in your own mindset, aligning your thoughts with his will. That's really talked about in Romans 12 too. Number three rather than getting depressed or anxious or torn up about challenges, look at them as opportunities. Learn from setbacks and use them to strengthen your faith. Tighten your focus, realizing that each obstacle has the potential to teach us some valuable lessons. Number four adopt a learning attitude. Be a lifelong learner. Number five Approach scripture, prayer and fellowship with a mindset that seeks growth and deeper understanding. Number five work on cultivating your resilience muscles. Lean into your faith.
John:During hard times, when you're facing trials and difficulties, it's easy just to get all discouraged and torn up and distracted. Instead, recognize that hardships can lead to spiritual growth. If you don't believe me, just read James, the first chapter, verses two through four. Number six seek guidance. First of all in your own prayer life and scripture reading. But other ways to seek guidance is supportive friends church members, mentors, people in a small group if you're part of that podcasts, therapists and pastors. They can all give you positive, solid guidance and input as you seek to grow.
John:Number seven set growth-oriented goals. Frame your spiritual goals around growth rather than strict deadlines and practices. Recognize signs of development. None of us are perfect and we never will be. Now, positionally in Christ, we are, but the truth is you and I are really messed up and, apart from what Jesus is doing in our life, we're in a world of hurt. But be future-oriented. Look at growing. Are you doing better in your quiet times? How's your spiritual development going? Are you reading? Are you practicing those spiritual disciplines? Not out of a sense of duty or being bound to, but out of a sense of hungering for growth, to be a better person you were last year.
John:Number eight keep a journal. Document your thoughts and insights, keep your experiences, write them down, reflect on them. Matter of fact, journaling has been a practice for Christians for years and the research tells us that when you write it down on paper with a pen or pencil, it kind of burns into your mind and makes some great things happen. Number nine learn to integrate scripture with mindset principles. Try to find ways to connect biblical teachings to your growth mindset, as seen in passages like Matthew 17, 20 and 2, timothy 3, 16 and 17. A great verse, by the way. I'll talk about some other time.
John:And number 10, engage in your church community. Covid didn't do us any favors when it comes to being isolated and in a world where we're so connected, there's an epidemic of loneliness. You need to pick up the phone, literally speaking. You need to get off your dove and get to church, or find a small group and get plugged into other people where you can have eyeball to eyeball contact, and you'll find that there'll be a place of encouragement and support for you. Let me give you a quick recommendation.
John:My friend, manette Sedberry, has a great podcast and in this podcast she talks about ways to be more mindful and how to develop that victory mindset. Check the show notes for a link to her podcast. Well, hey, I'm John Thurman. I'm glad you joined me today. Stay with me. I'll be back in a couple weeks for our next installment. You've been listening to John Thurman's Resilient Solutions Shortcast, where I help you become more resilient in your personal life, your relationships and in your faith. And let me remind you as I close, this is a day that the Lord has made and I will make a choice to rejoice and be glad in it. Check out my website at johnthurmannet and if you like what you're hearing, hit the subscribe button. Take care, god bless. See you soon.
