Praxis

Send us Fan Mail “The essential difference between a false self and a religious false self is that the latter brings God into its life.” That line stopped us cold, because it names something many of us feel but rarely say out loud: we can follow Jesus and still run on the same old operating system, only now it’s covered in spiritual language. The outside can look faithful, disciplined, and even “w...

Send us Fan Mail The “real you” might not be the most honest version of you, it might be the best-edited one. We’re in the middle of our authenticity series, and this conversation goes straight at a hard question: what happens when we keep hiding, performing, and managing impressions for long enough that it starts to feel normal? We dig into what we call the false self: a carefully constructed ide...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation thinking, Why didn’t I just say what I really meant?, you’re not alone. We talk about why authenticity is so hard even when we want it, and how hiding, performing, and impression management quietly reshape our relationships with God, ourselves, and other people. We start by grounding authenticity as being real, whole, and undivided, w...

Send us Fan Mail Authenticity is everywhere right now, but most definitions feel thin the moment real relationships get hard. We sit down to start a new Praxis series and name a more grounded, Jesus-centered picture: authenticity is being real rather than counterfeit, becoming whole rather than divided, and closing the gap between your inner life and your outer life. We talk through what authentic...

Send us Fan Mail Belonging is not the same thing as being allowed to attend. We talk about disability in the church all the time as a matter of access and inclusion, but what happens when someone is “welcomed” and still treated like a project, a problem to solve, or a person to hover over? That gap is where real discipleship gets tested, and it is where our conversation with Nilda Rivera begins. ...

Send us Fan Mail What if the measure of a healthy church isn’t polish, but belonging? We sit down with Emily Robillard, leader of disability ministry at Woodridge Church and longtime staff at Hammer Residences, to explore how communities can move past surface-level inclusion toward a culture where people with disabilities are seen, empowered, and invited to contribute. Emily’s story starts with pr...

Send us Fan Mail What if inclusion is only the starting line—and belonging is the finish we’re called to run toward together? We sit down with a special guest, Emily Enockson , to explore how a life shaped by foster care, medical fragility, and a steadfast sister named Josie became a vocation at Zachariah’s Acres , a 175-acre sanctuary where people with disabilities don’t just attend events—they h...

Send us Fan Mail What if “all are welcome” still leaves people standing alone? Statistically, chances are high that either you or someone close to you lives with a disability. Yet far too often, people with disabilities find themselves pushed to the margins. This special episode comes from The Leader's Journey Podcast , where Mac and Josie open up about parenting their son Griffin, who has Do...

Send us Fan Mail What if the only true measure of spiritual maturity is love—and not the easy versions? We bring our series on mental models for missional discipleship to a close by naming love as the plumb line that aligns everything: discipleship, mission, leadership, and daily life. Not the Hallmark fuzzies, not constant affirmation, not Midwest nice. We look to Jesus who had grace and truth in...

Send us Fan Mail What if the kingdom of God isn’t an exit plan but a present reality that disrupts our politics and reorders our lives? We open with a bold claim: God’s kingdom looks like Jesus’ ministry. That means good news to the poor, freedom for the oppressed, healing for the sick, and a reconciling community that previews the world to come. We unpack the “already and not yet,” grounding it i...

Send us Fan Mail Holiday season or pressure cooker? Between the nonstop events, gift budgets, and Hallmark-level expectations, December can intensify everything—joy and grief, laughter and loneliness, unity and old wounds. We get candid about why family dynamics spike this time of year and map out a practical way to move through it with grace and truth. We start by naming the hidden currents: idea...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most important work of your life happens where no one sees it? We dig into a core conviction of missional discipleship—God cares about the who, not just the do—and trace how that truth reframes leadership, mission, and everyday faith. We start with Jesus’ own pattern: decades of hidden formation before three years of public ministry. That ratio alone confronts our bias...

Send us Fan Mail What if the order of your life is backwards? We’re tackling a simple idea with radical implications: trust leads and effort follows. Starting with Jesus’ baptism and temptation, we explore how identity received—not achievement earned—powered his ministry. From there, we trace how the New Testament consistently places grace before effort, and why that sequence frees us from the gri...

Send us Fan Mail The kingdom of God was the centerpiece of Jesus' teaching, but what exactly does this kingdom look like? Far more than a distant heavenly realm we'll experience after death, God's kingdom is a present reality that Jesus embodied through his revolutionary ministry. When we understand that "God's kingdom looks like Jesus' ministry," we gain a power...

Send us Fan Mail What comes into our minds when we think about God shapes everything else in our lives. Yet most of us carry distorted images of God that we've picked up from our upbringing, painful experiences, or cultural messages—images that create barriers to authentic relationship with him. In this episode, we unpack five common misconceptions about God that might be operating beneath th...

Send us Fan Mail What if God doesn't wait for us to clean up our act before loving us? What if He actually meets us exactly where we are—in all our messy, broken reality? In a discussion about our second mental model for missional discipleship, we unpack the life-changing truth that "God bends to meet us in reality." This isn't just feel-good theology—it's the pattern we s...

Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you felt the pressure to "bring God" to a situation? What if God was already there, working long before you arrived? This episode challenges our fundamental assumptions about mission and discipleship by exploring the conviction that God's presence always precedes our participation. We dive deep into what "missional" truly means – not...

Send us Fan Mail What if the way Jesus saw the world could transform how you live your everyday life? In this illuminating conversation, we unpack the concept of mental models—those invisible frameworks that shape everything from how we parent and lead to how we interpret Scripture and engage in mission. Think of mental models like prescription glasses. While rarely noticed, they constantly filter...

Send us Fan Mail What does it truly mean to love your enemies in the way of Jesus? This question isn't just theological theory—it's a practical challenge we face whenever someone wrongs or mistreats us. In this powerful conclusion to our forgiveness series, we explore what might be Jesus's most radical teaching: not just breaking free from cycles of enemy-making, but actively loving...

Send us Fan Mail The journey from forgiveness to reconciliation is one of the most challenging paths in Christian discipleship. While many believers embrace God's forgiveness and understand the importance of forgiving others, the question of what comes next often leaves us confused, frustrated, or even stuck. In this episode, we unpack a powerful distinction that clarifies the forgiveness pro...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually look like to forgive someone who's hurt you deeply? After acknowledging the pain and choosing to move toward forgiveness, how do you actually release the debt and free yourself from resentment? In this episode, we dive into the mechanics of forgiveness – the practical steps of extending forgiveness to others even when our emotions haven't caught up...

Send us Fan Mail We explore how naming and lamenting the impact of wrongful actions in Jesus's presence serves as the first step toward engaging in cruciform forgiveness. Developing this essential spiritual practice helps us move from bitterness to freedom. • Why facing reality is essential for true forgiveness • The cycle of enemy-making that traps us in unforgiveness • How acknowledging pai...

Send us Fan Mail What does it truly mean to forgive like Jesus? This transformative episode dives deep into the heart of Christian forgiveness by examining both Jesus' teachings and his lived example. Through powerful stories like Corrie Ten Boom confronting her Nazi prison guard and Jesus forgiving from the cross, we discover how forgiveness breaks the destructive cycle of enemy-making that...

Send us Fan Mail Forgiveness is a journey that challenges us to confront our own hearts while navigating the complexities of relationships. Understanding the cycle of enemy-making reveals how ruminating on wrongs can harden our hearts and distort our perceptions of others. By intentionally practicing forgiveness, we reclaim our agency and foster deeper connections rooted in love and mercy. In this...

Send us Fan Mail Ever struggled to forgive someone, even when you know it's the right thing to do? That's a journey we're all familiar with, and in this episode, we seek to unravel the complexities of forgiveness and share insights that could transform your perspective. Throughout our conversation, we tackle the misconceptions surrounding forgiveness. We delve into the difference be...