Balancing the Christian Life

Send us Fan Mail This week on the program we talk to the hosts of the podcast Devotional Doctors , Bryan Nash (Doctorate in ministry) and JD Souder (Doctorate in physical therapy).  They have a simple but powerful message about the importance of understanding the body's relationship to Christianity. God created us both body and soul. Ultimately we rely on our bodies to carry out our Christian...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I collaborate with my good friend Darin Gerdes. Darin hosts The Leadersmith podcast. This episode is our conversation about the importance of failure, and part 2 is available on his podcast where we talk about the importance of taking risks. Darin takes over the hosting reins for this episode. It was fun and, I hope, worthwhile. This is the first time I've be...

Send us Fan Mail Craig Bean is a close and dear friend and, I think, one of the very best to talk about intentional culture creation. Most people believes the culture to our congregations walk in the doors and leadership should respond to the culture in the pews.  Craig talks about how to foster and create the kind of culture where Christians actively make positive change the places they are. Crai...

Send us Fan Mail Matt Bassford is a minister in Columbia, Tennessee. In this episode, he talks about how he and his wife dealt with the tragedy of a stillborn birth of their first daughter, Macy and how their relationships with God and other Christians were the only things which could fix it. This is a difficult but important conversation. I think about how all of us are broken, but we often feel...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we discuss one of the most basic parts of being a Christian, Bible study. Jason Hardin is a minister and author of Hello, I'm Your Bible , (affiliate link) a practical guide to Bible study. Jason has his own strategy for Bible study which helps put you in the right mindset and helps you develop a good attitude toward reading. Jason and his family minister at Charle...

Send us Fan Mail So how good are you at communication? I'm not sure we think about that question a lot...but we definitely hear a lot about its importance. This week I talk to one of my old students, Ryan Cummings, about the importance of communication for Christians. He covers the importance of productive conflict, working together, and how communication forms an important part of our relati...

Send us Fan Mail This week we talk to my cousin, Craig Embry. Craig is someone who knows how to get things done and he has helped his congregation in the Sarasota area use the tools of digital discipleship to cope with Coronavirus and spread Christianity. I'm impressed with Craig, and I think you will be, too. You can see what they're trying at South Trail church of Christ . Support the...

Send us Fan Mail Do you journal? I don't. Well, not yet. So when I talked to Jeremy Dehut about what made his Christian life better, I was curious why he said journaling was one of the most important things he does to help his Christian walk. Jeremy made some practical points about how journaling can help you both review and put in perspective your relationship with God. He also talks about h...

Send us Fan Mail This episode concludes the conversation we started last week with Edwin Crozier, Kris Emerson, Jason Hardin and Mark McCrary.  In this episode, the guys talk about their own podcasts and what roles they play with their congregations, the love/hate relationship we all have with Zoom, concerns about returning to worship at a building and what they plan to keep doing after the pandem...

Send us Fan Mail Well...this was a conversation with four guys I think are doing excellent work in light of Covid. Edwin Crozier, Kris Emerson, Jason Hardin and Mark McCrary. Three of these guys are past guests. I just wanted to know how they reacted to Covid and putting together something they could use to help their members still feel connected. This is very frank, and I so appreciate the vulner...

Send us Fan Mail Phil is an old friend who has a knack with teens and someone I greatly admire. I planned this episode to be about the teens he works with, but Phil quickly turned the conversation to parenting, and I think he was right. He shines a spotlight on what we can do better as parents. We also talk a little about digital discipleship and how his congregation in Gainesville may use tools s...

Send us Fan Mail This is my second half of the conversation with Edwin Crozier. This part focuses on his view of digital discipleship and his writing process. I said it before, Edwin is a really good guy. Consider  listening to his podcast, Text Talk, it's available at Apple podcasts ,  A few of Edwin's books include (affiliate links): Love Like a Samaritan The Gospel of the Kingdom Gett...

Send us Fan Mail Edwin Crozier is someone I have known for several years but never really talked to. This is the first part of a great conversation I had with Edwin. In this episode, Edwin talks about his own spiritual walk. If you're interested in listening to his podcast, Text Talk, it's available at Apple podcasts ,  A few of Edwin's books include (affiliate links): Love Like a S...

Send us Fan Mail This week's interview is with preacher Mark Roberts. He works in Texas and says digital discipleship represents a disruption and not an interruption. This was a fun conversation and the first time I've talked with Mark. He's very sharp and kind. If you're interested in subscribing to his digital magazine, it's available at Pressing On Magazine. Support the...

Send us Fan Mail In this second episode with LaGard Smith, we talk about digital discipleship, how to keep your biases out of your Bible study, and a surprising project he's putting together which you may be able to see on a screen near you at some point. Some of the books I recommend by LaGard are: The Daily Bible Darwin's Secret Sex Problem Baptism - The Believer's Wedding Ceremon...

Send us Fan Mail This is a conversation I had with LaGard Smith. He's a law professor and thought leader in Christianity. LaGard was a "bucket list" interview for me. He's taught at some prestigious universities and was both thought-provoking and kind. If you are interested in learning more about LaGard or read some of his books, a few are (affiliate links): The Daily Bible Dar...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, we talk about the importance of uncovering the values tied up in your habits. This episode was, likewise, quick to write, but illuminating to me. Thanks so much for joining me on the podasting journey. In this episode I talk about (affiliate links): The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod Atomic Hab...

Send us Fan Mail This week I talk about the power of being responsible. This episode came together quickly. I compare the "rights" argument with the "responsibility" argument. In some ways, these are two sides of the same coin. If you have rights, you have corresponding responsibilities which come with them. I emphasize the responsibilities, however, because they are rarely dis...

Send us Fan Mail This week we discuss the importance and power of gratitude to the Christian life. I start out by talking about my younger son, Kent. He's a case of "still waters run deep." He's very bright, quiet and thoughtful. I mention in today's episode a foundational book.: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (affiliate link) If you haven't read this...

Send us Fan Mail This was a great interview with Jason Romano. Jason was a 17 year ESPN producer who became an author and podcaster. In his first book, Live to Forgive , Jason talks about his struggles with his alcoholic father and then his struggle to become one, himself.  In his journey, he meets his Heavenly father who helps him understand what true fatherhood is about. Along the way, Jason tal...

Send us Fan Mail Barry is a friend who has become an expert and scholar on the Bible lands. In the last 15 years, Barry has also become a podcaster and on-camera host of a YouTube series that introduced the places in the Bible through Appian Media . Barry has an amazing eye for detail. Let me know what you think about this episode, and be sure to reach out to Barry if you have questions about the...

Send us Fan Mail This week in the podcast, I talk with Matt and Jennifer Schmidt about their podcast, Intimate Covenant. This episode deals frankly but not explicitly with sex in Christian marriage. This is NOT an episode for children, but an important topic which often gets ignored.  You can visit their website at: https://intimatecovenant.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail You'll have to indulge me this week. I'm interviewing my dad, a retired physician from Kentucky. This was the first interview I did for the podcast. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's very sentimental for me. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week is a conversation with my close friend Mark McCrary. He's a leader at Douglass Hills church of Christ and one of the decision makers there which help implement the tools of digital discipleship. Pay particular attention to how they use Facebook as an integral part of how they spread Christianity. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I interview the two founders of Appian Media, Craig Dehut and Stuart Peck. They've put together three YouTube series exploring biblical stories in the Bible lands. Their first series, Following the Messiah , told the story of Jesus's ministry. They also produced a series telling the story of the United Kingdom (the times of Saul, David and Solomon). Their...