A Silicon Valley Pastor on the Spiritual Cost of a Distracted Life ft. Jay Kim
- Andy McIlvain
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Video from Formation with John Ortberg
A Silicon Valley Pastor on the Spiritual Cost of a Distracted Life ft. Jay Kim
"What does it take to find peace in a culture engineered for distraction? In this episode of Formation, John Ortberg sits down with a Silicon Valley pastor whose pursuit of attention, rest, and spiritual formation was interrupted by a panic attack — and reshaped by an ancient prayer practice, the problem with multitasking, and the rise of AI.
Jay Kim is a pastor, author, and podcaster who serves at WestGate Church in the heart of Silicon Valley. He's thought deeply about what it means to pursue spiritual formation in one of the most distracted, driven, and technologically saturated cultures in the world. And a few years ago, sitting in his car in a strip-mall parking lot after dropping his kids at school, a panic attack made all of that very personal.
That moment became an invitation to stop striving, to examine his life more honestly, and to rediscover an ancient practice that has become one of the most formative disciplines of his days. It's the heart of his latest book, The Pace of Peace, and the heart of this conversation.
A note for listeners: this episode includes a personal account of a panic attack and references to anxiety and mental health. If you're struggling, please reach out to someone you trust or a mental health professional.
4:46 — The panic attack in the strip-mall parking lot
8:43 — Should pastors go to therapy?
9:59 — Losing your finger on the pulse of your inner life
13:26 — "Stop" — what God said in the parking lot
16:44 — Fainting, strength & weakness
17:55 — Healing comes through our wounds
21:46 — Ignatius, the cannonball & the birth of the Examen
25:07 — What is the Daily Examen?
28:06 — Presence: a vision of his father
36:27 — "I'm closer than you think"
38:04 — Can humans actually multitask?
44:12 — Attention is the form love takes
49:43 — What is biblical peace? (shalom)
52:41 — Gratitude, joy & the monastery bell
59:26 — Is AI conscious — or does it have a soul?
1:02:00 — Is distraction demonic?
1:07:29 — Confession: the sins we hide
1:11:25 — Moving schools & shame
1:16:43 — Surrender: "not my will, but yours"
1:18:21 — Lightning round" from the video introduction
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