On The Phone With Josh

What can fiction teach us about the Christian walk? Aside from the pure enjoyment of good fiction, what does it have to teach us? Why are humans drawn to tell and hear stories? What fiction creators tend to tell the best stories? Let’s dive into the fascinating world of fiction and discover what potential it has for helping us to go “further up and further in” to the Christian life.   Follow us on...

Have you ever created a Rule of Life for yourself? This formative practice goes back hundreds and hundreds of years through church history. Josh from Oregon recently went through the process of drafting a rule of life for himself. Listen in on what the process was like for him, and then share your own thoughts with us on social media.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh htt...

Eugene Peterson pushes against the modern culture in presenting his own philosophy of quiet, still, and contemplative ministry. How might this play out in the real world? What would it take to make it a reality? We encourage you to join the conversation by commenting on social media about your own reflections on the role of a pastor in your context.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePh...

What is the goal of spiritual formation? Is dying to self the goal? Is it a means to a goal? How can we follow the example of Jesus and even Paul in dying to ourselves? And more importantly, what would it look like in our lives if we actually did it? Let’s wrestle through this together and then discuss it on our social media pages below.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh...

Though fasting is an occasional part of many corporate and private spiritual rhythms, what exactly is it? What does scripture have to say about it? And how can we use fasting to live more faithfully with God? We explore all of that and more in this episode of On the Phone with Josh. But we want to hear from you as well! There is much we have to learn from one another. Come join the conversation wi...

Tim Challies recently posted a Prayer for Times of Controversy. We loved it so much that we wanted to devote a whole episode to talking through the prayer and its implications. We invite you to pray this prayer with us and then join the conversation about how to apply it in the real world. You can find the prayer on Tim Challies’ website at https://www.challies.com/quotes/a-prayer-for-times-of-con...

If we were to summarize all 66 books of the Bible into one unified narrative, what would that be? How does it all fit together? What elements would you emphasize, and which would you not? Once that work was finished, what good would it do anyway? Join us as we share our thoughts on the big picture story of the Bible. Then join us on social media to share your own thoughts.   Follow us on: https://...

Do denominations still have a role to play in our modern society? Should we see them as divisive or as helpful? What good might they do for the church and for our understanding of one another within the body of Christ? Regardless of your particular denomination, come join the conversation and let us know how denominations play a role in your life.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhon...

Today, our teenage daughters join us to explore social media through their eyes.  This is a follow-up to Episode 22 where we began exploring the world of social media only to realize that we needed the perspective of the generation younger than us. What do they believe are the positive and the negative uses of social media? How might this inform how we parent? Join us for this fascinating take on...

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does He do? Can we get a big picture idea of the Holy Spirit that is inclusive of various theological camps but not confined to any one of them? If we could, how would this effect our day-to-day lives. As always, we invite you to listen in on this conversation and then join in on social media. We love hearing from you!   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/O...

Everyone talks about a midlife crisis, but what does midlife really mean? What are the realities of entering this phase of life? How does it differ from being a young adult? Follow along with our journey and then share some of your journey with us on social media.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/   Books Mentioned on the Podc...

Like it or not, we are embodied creatures. In theory, this is a good thing. So how are our bodies relevant to spiritual formation? Let’s explore the plain and ordinary realities of living in a body and see if we can find a way to integrate those into the rest of our lives. As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by commenting on any of our social media platforms below.   Follow us on...

God is all about his own glory…or is he? Is that the primary motivation for his action in the world? How would Jonathan Edwards answer that question? How would you answer that question? And what difference would the answer make anyway? Let’s think through this together and see if we can come out in a Biblically healthy place.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www....

Your voice matters! Today we engage with the listener feedback from this past quarter. Thank you for joining these conversations. Whether you join in with a funny comment or a serious thought, we appreciate hearing from you. And we hope you enjoy hearing from one another as we look back over the past 3 months of conversations.     Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://w...

As you look ahead to 2023, who do you want to be? What do you need to do or stop doing in order to get there? Here are our reflections on our journey to date and where we may be heading in the new year. Come join the conversation!   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/   Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Smalley, Gary. Love is a Deci...

What is the difference between thinking about the incarnation vs. thinking about the Christmas story? What are the implications of the incarnation and how to we apply them to day-to-day life? The Joshes explore this idea and invite you, the audience, to do so with them. Together we also pray #ComeLordJesus.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthe...

Is there a better way to “Keep Christ in Christmas?” What if that phrase puts the emphasis in the wrong place? If you had your chance to create a church calendar, would Christmas be one of the things that you come back to every year? What else would be on your list? Come join the conversation, and together let’s pray a prayer for Advent #ComeLordJesus.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnTh...

Beyond Christmas, what can we say about the role of tradition in our lives? What role does it play? And how can that knowledge inform how we engage the traditions in our own lives and communities? In addition to joining the conversation, we invite you to also post about your advent season using the hashtag #ComeLordJesus.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.inst...

Advent is a season of expectation – of waiting for the arrival of our Savior. How can we spend this season aligned with a sense of expectation and longing – even when when we’re busy, stressed, and distracted? Come join us in our prayer #ComeLordJesus.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/   Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Erickso...

It’s Thanksgiving…do we HAVE to talk about gratitude? Do we have to sit around the table and say one thing that we’re grateful for? What do we do when we don’t want to? How can we reasonably talk about gratefulness without all of the pressure of the “have to?” Come join the conversation and help us all find a better way of being grateful.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh...

What is the opposite of a transactional relationship? Does it change based on the context? Is there ever a place for a transactional moment? If so, when is it appropriate and when isn’t it? We have lots of questions and very few answers. Please join the conversation and help inform how we can and should show up for people in the various spheres of life.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnT...

What role does social media play in our lives? Why do we use it? Why to we post what we post? How is social media affecting us (or benefitting us) in return? Join the conversation as we begin to think critically about social media.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://twitter.com/phonewithjosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/   Books Mentioned on the Pod...

Does the Trinity reveal more than just the being of God? Could the very idea of being itself be relational? If this were the case, what impact would it have on our faith, our lives, our churches, and our worship? Let’s dive in together to explore the broader implications of our Trinitarian God.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://twitter.com/phonewithjosh https://ww...

So much of our lives is spent doing nothing but the ordinary stuff – brushing our teeth, sleeping, going to work. How does this fit in with the spiritual life? How do we integrate the sacred and the ordinary? Come join the conversation and let us know how you find your balance in life.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://twitter.com/phonewithjosh https://www.instagr...

What if discipleship didn’t induce shame and a sense of failure? What if instead, we found it to be a source of life, hope, and transformation? Today we reflect on our experiences of discipleship and mentorship and try to learn how to do discipleship without shame.   Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://twitter.com/phonewithjosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewith...