Formed

We have all heard them, but are they true? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac are back to talk about popular Christian sayings we all hear and if they are actually true. "come to Jesus moment" "all things work together for good" "love the sinner, hate the sin" "everything happens for a reason" "God will never give you more than you can handle" "God helps those who help themselves" The crew wraps up the episo...

How do we respond to the moral failures of pastors? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac are back for a conversation on the surge in headlines around the moral failures of pastors or senior leadership in churches. Where does your mind/heart go when you see a new headline? How do we respond to non-believers who question the authenticity of church over these failures? What is it about senior church leadership th...

How do we get things wrong about Jesus? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac are together again for a conversation around—Jesus. What does the church get wrong about Him? How do people try to weaponize Him to fit their opinions? What is a common place in the Bible that He is misunderstood? Why is white Jesus inaccurate? How do we know what is true? The crew wraps up the episode by fantasy drafting things about...

The Olympics are over and it brought plenty of discourse. Barry, Sissy, and Isaac are back from a summer break and talking about the controversial Olympic Opening Ceremony. Was the persecution feeling by some Christians valid? How should we respond? Jesus got angry at times, when should we? Why are we surprised when the world acts "wordly?" The crew wraps up the episode by answering the question,...

How do we know if God is moving in our life? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about God moving in miraculous ways—whether we know it or not. How do we know if something is God or not? What is we asked for God to move and he didn't? What are some moments in your life that God moved in a way that you will never forget? The crew wraps up the episode by talking about breakups and Isaac brings a recent art...

What exactly happened at Pentecost? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the birth of the church at Pentecost. What can we learn from the chaos? Why is the role of the Holy Spirit have varying opinions among believers? How did Pentecostals come to be? Why do some churches talk about Pentecost and some don't? The crew wraps up the episode by talking about their ideal Coachella lineup. Barry's choices...

What is the state of denominations in Christianity? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about why identification with denominations is decreasing and their own experiences. What is good about denominations? What are concerns you have about denominations? Why do we have them? What can we learn from denominations? The crew wraps up the episode by talking about their ideal Coachella lineup. Barry's choices...

What do you do when you are walking through constant discouragement? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about walking through seasons of discouragement and the power of encouragement. How do you get out of discouragement? How do you discern what is because of your own doing or not? How much of it is a mindset? Why does it feel like encouragement lessens as you get older? The crew wraps up the episode by...

How do we avoid cynicism with faith and politics? Barry and Isaac are joined by Kaitlyn Schiess, author of The Liturgy of Politics and The Ballot and the Bible . They talk about the complicated relationship between our faith and politics, the role of spiritual formation with our political beliefs, and becoming aware of what has shaped our beliefs. They wrap up the episode by talking about Kaitlyn'...

How is being Catholic different and similar to being Protestant? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac are back and talking about Catholics and Protestants. How are the two similar? What about the differences? How did they both originate? What about purgatory and confession? What is a misconception Protestants have about Catholics? The crew wraps up the episode by talking about their experience being in the pat...

Are the "simple" Easter questions really that simple? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about being in the midst of Holy Week and questions that get asked around Easter. Why did Jesus really have to die? How does the Easter Bunny fit in? Why did Jesus wait three days to come back? Why do we hunt eggs? Why did Jesus have to die on a cross? The crew wraps up the episode by sharing their hottest opinions...

What do we know about demonic possession? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the hard topic of demonic possession and what it looks like in today's world. What do we underestimate about the spiritual realm? What are signs of demonic possession? What is an exorcism? What do we do in moments where we feel a demonic presence? The crew wraps up the episode by telling their craziest church stories. -St...

Four years to this week the world shut down. How has the churched changed? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac go back to March 2020 when the world shut down and the church went online. What did you learn about yourself as a leader during that time? What do you miss about the pre-covid church? What are you excited for the church moving forward? How has the church changed the most since then? The crew wraps up...

How has global missions changed over the past 30 years? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about why global missions is just as relevant today as ever before. How has sharing the gospel globally changed? What are some concerns about global missions today? Why is it vital for the church? What are some personal mission trip stories that impacted you? The crew wraps up the episode by talking Netflix's Love...

What are your thoughts about the He Gets Us campaign? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the conversations happening around the He Gets Us campaign. What does the campaign get right about Jesus? What are some of the criticisms? Does Jesus need a reintroduction to the world?  The crew wraps up the episode by giving what (fun) law they each would pass if given the chance. -Start here: http://www.irv...

Why do people give up something for Lent? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the season of Lent and the significance of Ash Wednesday. Why do we observe the liturgical calendar? What is the objective of Lent? What do the ashes on the forehead mean on Ash Wednesday? Where do the ashes come from? The crew wraps up the episode by discussing "polarizing foods" and Isaac's lack of adventure with food....

What is our role as believers in ending human trafficking?  Sissy, and Isaac are joined by Kim Jones, director of engagement at My Refuge House, to talk about the billion dollar industry of human trafficking. What are misconceptions around the reasons and solutions to trafficking? What does Hollywood get wrong about it? How can we play a part in ending it? Plus, Kim describes the origin story behi...

After five years of being a senior pastor, what lessons does Barry have to pass on? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about what Barry has learned after five years of being Senior Pastor at Irving Bible Church. He passes on four lessons and four questions that apply to us all whether you're in vocational ministry or not.  The crew wraps up the episode by playing a game—Taylor Swift lyric or verse from...

How do you approach the start of a new year? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about how 2023 will be remembered and starting a new year. What advice do you have for believers in 2024? If you want to read the Bible more this year, what are sustainable ways to do that? Do you do resolutions each year?  The crew wraps up the episode by recommending stuff for listeners to try in 2024. Journal mentioned by...

What does being in vocational ministry mean? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about their paths into ministry and what being in ministry consists of. What are some of the hardest parts about being in ministry? What are the rewarding parts? What are misconceptions about being in ministry? The crew wraps up the episode by playing a little Christmas version of This or That. -Start here: http://www.irving...

You know the gist of the Christmas story, but what are some parts of the story that are often overlooked? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the Christmas story in the Bible and parts of the story that are sometimes undervalued or overlooked. Who is an underrated person in the story? What is a part of the story that a lot of people don't know? How has the story changed your life?  Also, who is San...

We've all heard the word, but what does Advent really mean? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the origination of Advent and what the season leading up to the birth of Jesus is meant for. What is the history behind the word Advent? What traditions are associated with the Advent season and the church? For people who didn't grow up recognizing Advent, why is it special to recognize it? What are the...

Let's talk about religion and politics. Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the relationship between the church and politics. Why do some churches talk about politics and some don't? How did faith and politics intersect in the early church? Is there anything in the Bible about voting? How do we navigate the polarization over the last few years? How do we approach the next year ahead? The crew wraps...

Does friendship come easy for you? Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about the complicated, but rewarding area of friendship. Do you have to have friends? What is a spiritual friendship? What friendship in the Bible can we learn from? What qualities should we look for in a friend? The crew wraps up the episode by talking about...oreos. -Start here: http://www.irvingbible.org/new Want to follow us on so...

It's spooky season. Barry, Sissy, and Isaac talk about Halloween and how Christians respond to it. What is the history of Halloween? Should Christians celebrate the holiday? But what about the glorification of demons and Satan? How can parents approach the subject with kids? The crew wraps up the episode by fantasy drafting their favorite Halloween candy. Does anyone else besides Isaac like candy...