Episode Details

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.


Also in This Episode

• Why the word "multitasking" was coined to sell mainframe computers
• How the engineers building today's most advanced AI openly admit they don't actually know how it works
• Why the ancient church called distraction demonic and why a Silicon Valley pastor thinks they were right


A Few Lines Worth Sitting With

• "There is no multitasking human."
• "I do not have my finger very accurately on the pulse of my inner life most of the time."
• "Peace actually ushers you into the fray."

About Jay Kim

Jay Y. Kim is the lead pastor of WestGate Church in Silicon Valley, a Fuller Seminary graduate, and the author of Analog Church (winner of The Gospel Coalition's First-Time Author Award), Analog Christian, Listen, Listen, Speak, and his latest, The Pace of Peace — the book at the heart of this conversation. He hosts the Digital Examen podcast and co-hosts the ReGeneration Podcast. He has pastored for over 20 years, all in the Bay Area, and lives with his wife Jenny and their two young children.


Resources Mentioned

• Domestic Monastery — Ronald Rolheiser
• Soul Feast — Marjorie Thompson
• Letters by a Modern Mystic — Frank Laubach
• Against the Machine — Paul Kingsnorth
• Jonathan Haidt — research on social media and adolescent mental health
• Gloria Mark — neuroscience research on multitasking and attention
• Curt Thompson — work on shame and confession
• Steve Cuss — Managing Leadership Anxiety and writing on pastoral anxiety
• Rankin Wilbourne — Broom Tree ministry for pastors in difficulty
• The Daily Examen — Ignatian spirituality
• The hedonic treadmill — concept from Brickman & Campbell (1971)


About Formation

Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with Formation

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@formationjohn

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