On The Phone With Josh

SIN – It’s such a weighty 3-letter word. How should we apply it though? What things are sinful and what things are just a “good idea.” And once we know what sin is, how should we respond? These questions often come out filling shameful. Is there another way to view it? Come listen in on our conversation and then keep the conversation going by joining us on social media!   New Series Coming October...

Following the excellent expose on the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill by Christianity Today, we want to ask what measures of health we can implement to create healthy churches. What are the safeguards, best practices, and lessons learned from this podcast? If you’ve listened to that podcast, come share what other lessons you learned and how the church can become healthier as a result.   New Series Comi...

The Christian life is more than just following a bunch of “should”s (we should read our Bibles; we should pray; we should evangelize).  But if that’s all they ever all, then Christianity is just about SHOULDing on yourself – or worse, believing that God is SHOULDing on you. How can we move out of should and into delight? Come join the conversation – and come celebrate the freedom from should.   Ne...

We did it! We finished our Summer in the Psalms series! Now what difference did it make? What were the primary takeaways from spending the summer immersed in the Psalms? Join us for our reflections and then tell us about some of yours as well! Also be on the lookout for our upcoming series on Exclusion and Embrace!   New Series Coming October 10th: Exclusion and Embrace. Start reading now! Volf, M...

As we continue our Summer in the Psalms series, let’s take a look at the deceptively simple Psalm 130. It may not have much pop on first reading, but we both found that the more we dug into this Psalm, the more we had to learn from it. Come join the conversation and help us explore this Psalm together!   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: ht...

Have we made an idol out of leadership?  If so, what is the cause and how can we avoid it in the future?     Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/ https://www.threads.net/@onthephonewithjosh   Books Mentioned on the Podcast Jethani, Skye. With: Reimagining...

Navigating decisions is hard. What is the balance between exercising wisdom and waiting on God? One of us is facing just such a moment? What should it look like? Listen in and then join the conversation on social media to help us figure this all out.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www...

Lectio Divina or divine reading has been practiced in the church for centuries. Join us as we overview and then participate in this wonderful Christian practice. After listening through the text with us, join us on social media to let us know what word or phrase stuck out to you.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/...

Consolation and Desolation are two terms that St. Ignatius uses to describe the natural ebb and flow of how we feel about our relationship with God. How can we make use of these terms in our own life? What do we need to do when we’re in a period of desolation? Will it last forever? Join us this week as we discuss these all-too-human terms. Then join us on social media to keep the conversation goin...

Occasionally our theological lenses cause us to interpret English words in ways that the Hebrew never intended. By exploring a few Hebrew words like Nephesh, Hesed, and Sheol, we hope to expose some of the layers of beauty and depth in Psalm 86. Come read this Psalm with a fresh set of lenses and then join the conversation and let us know how this Psalm has impacted you!   Download our Summer in t...

Today we dive into the motivation for and the details of planning a personal spiritual retreat. If you have never done a spiritual retreat or have not done one in a while, our hope is that this episode inspires you to think about what’s possible. If you have done a spiritual retreat, come join the conversation and add to what’s been said here! We love hearing from you!   Download our Summer in the...

All across our culture people are yearning for affirmation of their worth. Pop culture tells a compelling story of how to have one’s worth be affirmed. Do we as Christians have a better story to tell? If so, what is the most compelling way to tell that story and live it out? We invite you to listen in to this conversation and then join in on social media.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Readin...

Half way through the year…how’s it going? In light of our thoughts and visions for the new year, we take this episode to reflect on our year and try to sense anew what God is doing in our lives. What is God doing in your life so far this year? We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with us on social media.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa...

What can be learned of God through nature? Why does Paul insist in Romans that we can be held accountable for the information that we learn about God through nature? What part does the special revelation of Jesus and the Bible play in all of this? Come join us for this conversation and for our Summer in the Psalms series!   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWW...

Do the end times have something to teach us about living in the here and now? Or are the end times  just a hobby horse for speculative theologians? Can the Pentecostal movement help to answer this question for the larger church? We invite you into this conversation and into our Summer in the Psalms reading plan. Find out how to participate below.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HE...

If we’re honest, we feel overwhelmed far more than we’d like. Why? What contributes to being overwhelmed? What can we do about it? In light of scripture, what “should” we do about it? Join us as we explore these ideas and reflect on our summer in the Psalms series.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJ...

The sheer scope of Psalm 18 leaves plenty for us to discuss. Take a few moments to read or listen to this psalm again. When you’re finished, join us for as we explore this text more closely. Then come join us online to share your thoughts about this amazing psalm.   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJo...

Transitions are hard. Whether we see them coming or have entirely too long to prepare for them, every transition is disorienting. How should we respond to the messiness of it all? Join us for this conversation and for Summer in the Psalms, which kicks off this week!   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWith...

Poor Bishop Hooper recently produced original tracks for all 150 Psalms. What was it like to record one Psalm per week for 150 weeks? What did they learn about the Psalms and themselves? How might this impact us as we step into our Summer in the Psalms. Follow Poor Bishop Hooper on all of their socials and come back to our pages to let us know what stood out for you from this episode!   Poor Bisho...

Universals and particulars are sometimes hard to distinguish. What parts of our faith are cultural expressions and which are universal truths of the Gospel? How can we develop the habit of having our assumptions challenged? We know that many of you come from different contexts than we do, so as a part of this exercise, we hope to hear from you to help round out the conversation. Join us on social...

Much is made in our faith about the importance of truth. However, there is also a substantial need for beauty. What is the place of beauty in our spiritual lives? How do we foster it? We invite you to join us in this conversation and in our upcoming Summer in the Psalms series. Check out more information below!   Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://bit.ly/3LtRWWa   Follow...

Fleming Rutledge wrote, “If we can’t look at the cross, then we can’t look at ourselves either.” In this episode, we take some time to look intently at the cross. Despite its violence. Despite the discomfort involved. What might we stand to learn from a long and steady gaze at the cross? But the idea of violence extends even to some of the Psalms. We hope that some of this discussion will help set...

This year we will be spending the entire summer reading the Psalms in community, and we would love for you to join us! Listen in as we describe what the process will be like and what motivates us to spend more time in the Psalms this summer. We also provide a number of resources to enhance your experience in the Psalms including additional books, lectures, music, and Bible translations. Whether yo...

We all need a little nudge to get us out of our reading ruts. Seminary is a great place to be pushed to read new things. But not everyone will want to pursue a seminary degree. Instead, join us on this episode to get an overview of some of the best books that Josh from Oregon read during his time in seminary. Come join the reading party!   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh...

We are on a desperate search to have “enough” fun to make it through the next set of tasks. But what if fun were something that was more integrated into day to day rhythms? How can we have more fun in our busy and stressful lives? We clearly struggle with this. We need you to join the conversation and let us know how you have integrated fun and joy into your everyday life. You can join in through...