unCOMFORTABLE

This week, Alex sits down with theologian and author Preston Sprinkle to discuss sexuality, gender, and what he's learned from listening to LGBTQ people. We also unpack his new book, From Genesis to Junia , examining difficult biblical passages about women in church leadership and what it means to let Scripture challenge beliefs we've held for years. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expr...

This week, we sit down with Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer, president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and his wife, Mary, to discuss immigration, what Scripture teaches about welcoming strangers, and how Christians can hold compassion and the rule of law together. We challenge common arguments about immigration, deportation, and border security while asking whether the American church is accurat...

This week, we look at why young adults are reporting more exhaustion than any other age group, and whether the problem is sleep, stress, technology, too many choices, or lives that never really shut off. We talk about our resistance to limits, what Jesus means when he offers rest, and what we may actually need to give up to become less tired. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this po...

This week, Eric sat down with Justin to talk about growing up with cystic fibrosis, facing the reality of death, walking through dark seasons, and wrestling with God when hope feels hard to find. His story is about suffering without easy answers, faith that survives hard questions, and learning how the nearness of death can change the way you live. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in t...

This week, Jess sits down with Joe to talk about childhood wounds, major health challenges, losing his colon, life with an ileostomy, and the darkest moments that tested his faith. We talk about what suffering changed, what it couldn’t take away, and how God can use the parts of our story we never would have chosen. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the cast...

This week, we sit down with Chad to talk about kidney failure, dialysis, the long wait for a transplant, and what happens to faith when life changes without your permission. We talk about fear, dependence, answered prayer, divine timing, and trusting God when the miracle you’re asking for still hasn’t come — kidney disease, dialysis, kidney transplant, organ donation, faith, suffering, prayer, hop...

This week, we sit down with Ken Dick and Mark Ashton to unpack Calvinism and Arminianism, exploring election, free will, God’s sovereignty, grace, and salvation through the five points of TULIP. We also talk about theological humility, why faithful Christians can disagree, and how conviction and friendship can coexist without sacrificing truth or unity. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed...

This week, we sit down with Eric and Rachel Dufour for an honest conversation about sex and intimacy in Christian marriage, including desire, arousal, orgasm, communication, and mismatched expectations. We explore how couples can better understand one another, navigate changing seasons, and approach sex as an opportunity to love and serve each other well. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions express...

This week, we catch up on what’s been on our minds this summer, put each other on the spot with uncomfortable scenarios, and see where the conversation takes us. As summer winds down, we talk about changing rhythms, returning to routine, and being intentional about the season ahead.

This week, we go beyond the headlines with “Daniel”, who has spent nearly a decade living among the Kurdish people in the Middle East, to better understand the cultures, faith, and everyday lives of people across the Middle East. We talk about common misconceptions, the impact of conflict on ordinary families, what Christians can learn from believers in the region, and how to respond with greater...

This week, Alex is joined by Scott Kubie, President of Orchard Alliance, to explore what Christians should think about the possibility of the world's first trillionaire. Together, they discuss wealth, innovation, generosity, and how followers of Jesus can approach economic success with biblical wisdom, faithful stewardship, and a hope that remains rooted in Christ rather than in money. DISCLAI...

This week, we explore the growing crisis of distrust in our culture and examine the difference between healthy skepticism, biblical discernment, and destructive cynicism. We discuss why trust is declining, how technology and information overload are shaping our hearts, and what it looks like to follow Jesus as people of truth, humility, and trustworthiness in an age of distrust. DISCLAIMER: The vi...

This week, Jess is joined by Kate Willsey, spiritual trauma therapist and coach, for a conversation about church hurt, religious trauma, and spiritual manipulation. We explore why spiritual wounds can run so deep, how people can begin healing after painful church experiences, and what churches can do to become healthier places of grace, safety, and restoration. Whether you've experienced churc...

This week, we are joined by Steph Juliot from The Pour Over to explore how nonstop headlines, smartphones, and algorithms have reshaped our relationship with information—and how constant news consumption can quietly produce anxiety, anger, arrogance, and apathy. We discuss why outrage drives engagement, how Christians can stay informed without being consumed by the news, and where lasting peace is...

This week, we are joined by Ryan and Karina Martinez of Life Upside Down to talk about discerning God’s voice in a world full of noise, the tension between caution and obedience, and the fear of getting it wrong when faith requires risk. Through honest conversation and personal story, we explore how Scripture, wisdom, humility, and courage shape discernment when God calls people into uncomfortable...

This week, we unpack “Crotch Christianity” — the belief that sexual ethics sit at the top of God’s moral hierarchy while justice, greed, pride, and mercy get sidelined. We wrestle with purity culture, politics, Scripture, and the uncomfortable possibility that American evangelicalism may reflect cultural obsession more than biblical priority. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this po...

This week, we tackle one of Christianity's most emotionally charged debates — whether Christians should drink alcohol — exploring what Scripture actually says, how church history shaped our assumptions, and how to hold freedom and wisdom together in a culture built around drinking. Joined by Dr. Karl Pagenkemper, we're not looking for loopholes; we're after something better: a way to l...

This week, we invited church staff to answer the question What’s an uncomfortable issue the Church is facing today that we don’t talk about enough? How can we respond in a way that reflects Jesus? Their answers expose blind spots, challenge our instincts, and force us to wrestle with whether we actually live like Jesus or just talk about him. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this po...

This week, we confront the uncomfortable reality that while we’re more informed than ever, our minds are increasingly fragmented—trading reflection for reaction, and depth for speed in a culture of constant distraction. We explore how this erosion of deep thinking is shaping our faith, our discernment, and our ability to hold truth with nuance—and how intentional rhythms can retrain our minds for...

This week, we ask whether the Church has softened its view of sin and what gets lost when rebellion, repentance, and holiness are replaced with safer, more therapeutic language. We talk about how to hold grace and truth together without crushing people or excusing what God still calls sin. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the cast members and guests. They d...

This week, we explore why adult friendship isn’t being rejected but quietly drifting, and how modern life has made deep connection harder than most of us want to admit. We unpack the gap between being connected and being known, the cost we avoid, and the simple, consistent rhythms that actually rebuild real friendship. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the c...

This week, we explore the IKEA Effect—why we value what costs us—and how a frictionless, convenience-driven world is quietly reshaping our habits, relationships, and spiritual formation. We examine how effort forms us, where convenience is costing us more than we realize, and what it looks like to follow Jesus in a culture that avoids resistance. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in thi...

This week, we talk with Dr. Sarina Thoendel of Lily Haven about what child trafficking actually is, how grooming and online access create vulnerability, and the myths that keep people from seeing it clearly. We also discuss warning signs, how parents and churches can respond without panic or shame, and why long-term healing matters for survivors. Learn more at lilyhaven.org DISCLAIMER: The views a...

This week, we step into the intersection of neuroscience, trauma, and faith with Dr. Lee Warren, exploring what it means to face the battle within our own minds. We unpack how our thoughts shape suffering, why some wounds cannot be healed with a scalpel, and how pain and loss impact both mental health and spiritual formation. We examine “self-brain surgery,” the practice of taking our thoughts ser...

This week, we examine what Paul meant when he wrote that love “keeps no record of wrongs” and why that verse is often simplified to mean forgetting harm, removing consequences, or restoring trust immediately. We explore the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, how Scripture handles truth-telling about wrongdoing, and why forgiveness removes guilt without requiring amnesia. DISCLAIMER...