Halfway There

How does a Michigan farm boy turn into a travelling minister who builds up the church around the globe? Today’s story is proof that you just never know how God is going to use the events in your life, even the ones you don’t think are for your good at the time. The story belongs to Dell McDonald who I call the elder statesmen of our church. In our conversation, Dell shares the story of how he came...

Today my guest is Laura Flanders who serves as the director of the training and mentoring program at Denver Seminary. This was a special conversation to me because Laura served as my training center director during my time at DenSem. Her commitment to honesty in spiritual formation shaped me and planted the seeds of many of the ideas that show up in the show each week. Christians of all varieties...

Matthew Rennels shares his story of overcoming bipolar and anxiety. He grew up in a Lutheran family but, like many, gave up any connection to God in college. But then while working as a newspaper reporter in the Bible Belt, Matthew worked with a Christian. At first, he was was wary but then one day he just asked if he could go to church with the guy. And that was it. He gave his life to Christ not...

My guest today is Richard Jacobson who is a former pastor turned artist, animator, and now author. His book Unchurching: Christianity without Churchianity is written for the millions of Christians who are leaving organized churches. They aren’t alone and in Richard they may have found a leader. You may expect that someone writing against the current structure organization of churches to be bitter...

This episode is a “betweenisode” to get us through to Season 2 of the show. Season 1 was great as we heard from 13 different people sharing their stories about God in their life and what it’s really like to walk with Him. Over 1600 downloads later, we’re ready to move into the next season. In this episode, I share about what to do when you are mad at God. It’s a moment that we all experience at so...

Suppose for just a moment that you came home from a long day at work. You're exhausted and just want to sit down. You collect the mail and look through it. Mostly junk but one piece sticks out. It is a notice that a package too valuable to be left when you're not here awaits you at the Post Office. All you have to do is pick it up and the package is yours. That moment between knowledge and possess...

Without a burning bush, how do you know God is directing you? Today, my guest and I discuss this question. Andy McClure has held a number of interesting positions including working on air at a local radio station, public address announcer, pastor, and managing a ReStore for Habitat for Humanity. I invited him to be on the show after we met at a Habitat conference. His story will be a helpful one....

I loved interviewing today’s guest. You will hear a story of one woman’s life with God that proves peace really does come through trusting God in the hardest times. Jane Grifasi relates her story of struggling with cancer, a wayward husband, and learning to love God with such a pure heart that I know you will be encouraged by hearing it. In 2014, Jane was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer which h...

Doug grew up a military kid moving often as so many do. A Christian camp was where he found life and the “light of Christ.” At home he had plenty of love and acceptance but did not have a supportive Christian community and so found a constant dichotomy between his life at camp and the one at the college fraternity. Eventually, he moved to Colorado from Michigan. Longing for something more, Doug ke...

Greg Boyd – Racism: Why Whites Have Trouble “Getting It” Today’s guest is a classic suburban Christian kid with a passion for others. Jordan Vargo grew up with parents who loved the Lord. She was involved in a church youth group and wrestled with the disparity between her life there and at school. Jordan knew early in life that she wanted to be involved in mission so as soon as she could Jordan be...

Jonathan Monsour grew up in a Roman Catholic family and rejected the church when his parents divorced. He came to Christ in middle school when his older sister signed him up for summer camp without asking him. It turned out to be a huge moment in his life because there he first heard about a relationship with Jesus leading him to give his life to Christ. You’ll hear us talk at some length about ho...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Following Jesus is never a one time event. Today’s guest describes her journey as one of learning to surrender not just once but as a practice of her discipleship. Sue Muckley is a mother, grandmother, and mentor to young people. She shared how the Lord sh...

Is it possible to hear directly from God? A few weeks ago I shared with you a conversation with Iain Bradbeer about how he learned to interact with God to powerful results. I met today’s guest at the same time and he was generous enough to share the story of how he learned to hear and trust God. Todd Johnson is a pastor today but even getting to that role was a series of events of saying yes to le...

Shari Malott is a mother, teacher, and artist who is married to last week’s guest Chuck Malott. This marks the first time I’ve interviewed a husband and wife about their journey. This beautiful couple have been through the journey together but responded in very different ways. Shari grew up with no connection to the church but she knew something was missing. As a girl she would go sit in a nearby...

Chuck grew up in a home so troubled that at his first opportunity he bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii where he lived under a makeshift shelter he fashioned from a washed up boat. When he finally returned home he met Christ through a pastor who just wouldn’t give up. As he returned to his seat after giving his life to Christ a woman met him with tears streaming down her face. She saw him weeks ago...

How do you know when it’s God speaking to you? And what if you misinterpret what you heard? These are critical questions of discernment as you experience life with God. My friend Bill Brown spoke to me about learning to discern the Lord’s leading in his life. It’s one of those elusive concepts ingrained in church language but is not often taught as a matter of course in discipleship. That’s why it...

Why is it that the experience of following Jesus looks so completely different in the New Testament than it does today? It’s a question many of us wrestle with. I did and it led me to study spiritual formation in seminary. If you’ve ever wanted more of God, or whispered a late night prayer hoping God would intervene somehow in your life then this episode is for you. Hobbled with a theology that sa...

Spiritual maturity is one of those elusive things that all followers of Christ hope and strive after but can sometimes be difficult to know what it is really like. After all, everyone we know is in process, right? So how do you know a spiritually mature person when you meet them? Is it by their age or the number of decades since they made that fateful decision to follow Christ? Either sounds good...

Halfway There is a podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of ordinary Christians and their experience with God. Every Christian has a story to tell about how God entered into their lives but they don’t always get the opportunity to share it. Our discipleship suffers for lack of knowledge about how God works even today. Halfway There changes that by giving voice to ordinary Christians. Think of i...