The Ordinary Christian Podcast

In this episode of the Ordinary Christian Podcast, Craig Thompson interviews Bobby Jamieson, a pastor and author, discussing his book 'The Path to Being a Pastor.' They explore the journey to pastoral ministry, the importance of humble aspiration, and the various roles within church leadership. Jamieson emphasizes that aspiring to ministry should focus on growth and qualifications rather t...

In this episode of the Ordinary Christian Podcast, Craig Thompson discusses the importance of maintaining spiritual commitments made at the beginning of the year, particularly focusing on Bible reading and prayer. He emphasizes God's immutability, explaining that God does not change, which provides a solid foundation for faith. The conversation explores the concept of abiding in Christ as esse...

If you have made a commitment to read more in 2025, here are a few suggestions you might enjoy or benefit from.   -              Jonathan Haidt— The Anxious Generation -              Michael Easter— The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain -              Cal Newport— Slow Productivity -              Alan Noble— On Getting Out of Bed -              Abigail Shrier— Irreversible Damage and Bad Therapy -...

In this episode, Paul Davis shares his struggle with stage four liver cancer. He tells how he has found hope in the hard days and how this diagnoses has given him a new perspective. There are no bad days, just some difficulties to overcome. Paul's attitude and faith have challenged and encouraged me. I know it will do the same for you. Share this episode with someone who may need some encouragemen...

In this episode, I share a recent Wednesday night sermon from the book of 1 Kings. We considered the life of King Solomon, how he started, how he lost his focus on the Lord, how he failed, and ultimately how he led his son to lose the kingdom. None of you have a literal kingdom to lose, but we all stand to lose much if we lose our focus on the Lord. I hope you enjoy this episode. If you do, please...

On this episode of The Podcast, Brian Garbade sits down to share his story of international mission engagement. From his first international trip that was a disaster, to today where he sits on the board of an evangelistic ministry from Scotland (The Heralds Trust), Brian sharers how short-term mission trips challenged him to be more missional abroad and more engaged in discipleship and evangelism...

In this episode, Craig Thompson interviews Paul D. Miller about his book,  The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism?  They discuss the personal background of Paul Miller, the relationship between Christianity and America, the concept of separation of church and state, and the dangers of Christian nationalism. They also touch on the influence of Christianity on th...

In this episode recorded with a live audience, Craig and his wife Angela discuss 7-STRONG and Jonathan Haidt's book, The Anxious Generation . If you are interested in helping kids to thrive and seeing healthy communities come together with intention and purpose, this episode is for you.

Summary Dr. Ed Uszynski discusses his new book,  Untangling Critical Race Theory , and the importance of having conversations about race. He shares his personal background and experiences with race, highlighting the need for open dialogue and introspection. The conversation delves into the concepts of critical theory and Marxism, exploring their influence on critical race theory. The hosts discuss...

Life is better with friends. In this episode of the podcast, I have a conversation with Angela (my wife) and with our friends Luke and Patty Tolbert about the nature of our long friendship. We talk about what friendship is, how to find friends, and the joy found in a shared life together. Along the way we address the ways friendship can be inconvenient and some of the necessary personal sacrifices...

I began the Ordinary Christian Podcast in 2020 just before the world shut down from a worldwide pandemic. In the four years since then, the podcast has continued in starts and stops. For the 100th episode, I decided to revisit some lessons we all learned during COVID shutdowns, but which we are on the verge of forgetting. In this episode I encourage you to: Prioritize people over possessions. Live...

In this episode, I share tips on how to stay awake and engaged during sermons. I emphasize the importance of going to bed early on Saturday nights, preparing ahead by reading the passage of Scripture, arriving early to find a comfortable seat, and actively participating in worship through singing. It also helps if listeners to expect to be challenged and changed, take notes, plan to discuss the se...

Dr. Chris Rappazini, a professor of leadership, discusses his new book  Moving Forward After Messing Up  and the importance of second chances. He shares a personal story about his relationship with his brother and how it inspired him to write the book. The conversation explores the challenges of recognizing and accepting our mistakes, the role of empathy in ministry, and the practical implications...

On this episode, Dr. Kevin Gushiken and I discuss his upcoming book  A Theology of Play  and the importance of incorporating play into the Christian life. He explores the reasons why Christians often don’t prioritize play and suggests that grounding play in theology and scripture can give us permission to enjoy life. He emphasizes the need for a playful attitude and spontaneous moments of play, as...

Dr. Greg Quiggle discusses his new book on D.L. Moody, titled  Bread and Bibles: D. L. Moody's Evangelism and Social Action , which explores Moody's evangelism and social action. Moody was a prominent English-speaking evangelist in the 19th century and had a significant impact on Protestant Christianity. He was known for his ability to connect with the common person and his earnestness.  M...

As parents, our “no” can often be more powerful than our “yes.” But, saying “no” comes with risk as well as reward. On this episode of the podcast, I sit down with two other pastors from Malvern Hill and discuss why saying “no” must be a part of our regular conversations with our children. We discuss a recent sermon, travel sports, ballet, screen time, social media, and internet gaming. Perhaps mo...

In this episode of the Ordinary Christian Podcast, Craig Thompson interviews David Mathis about the theology of exercise. They discuss the importance of exercise in their personal lives and how it impacts their roles as husbands, fathers, and pastors. They explore the biblical metaphor of running and the idea of embracing difficulty for the sake of reward. They also touch on the different types of...

What if life is supposed to be hard? What if difficult is normal, and easy is the rare icing on the cake. If life is supposed to be challenging, then part of the struggles in our lives do not come about because life is so difficult, but because we have made too much of life easy and have created an expectation that easy is normal. The Bible is filled with words of warning about difficult days and...

Bryan Plyler is a husband, father, aspiring angler, and the pastor of the  River Church  in Camden, SC. On this episode, Bryan shares about his recent health struggles that nearly left him without a voice and how God has worked in spite of that situation. He shares some helpful tips on anxiety and tells about lessons learned from hard spiritual struggles. The podcast closes with a good conversatio...

We are failing our boys. No one denies that boys in our culture are struggling, but perhaps you are not aware of just how great the struggle is. Boys are failing or falling behind in nearly every category imaginable. Consider a few stats: Nationally, 70% of high school valedictorians are female. In 2010 only 44% of college applicants were male. As of 2016, the dropout rate for boys is 40% higher t...

When we try to teach biblical discernment, it is difficult for the same reasons that teaching someone to play baseball is difficult. Baseball is a relatively simple game to play…if you know how to play baseball. If you do not know how to play baseball, it is a game filled with complicated, sometimes abstract instructions, skills, and coordination and you have already forgotten many of the beginnin...

Have you ever gone through a difficult season of life, only to look back and see God at work through the whole thing? Rob Tims is a husband and father of four children. He is also the pastor of  Beech Haven Church  in Athens, Georgia. On this episode of the podcast, Rob and I dig into a period of intense struggle in his life that God used to refine him and give him a greater appreciation for the g...

Benjamin Laird is associate professor of biblical studies at the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity of Liberty University. He is a respected New Testament scholar and the author of several books. On this episode of the Podcast, I speak with Dr. Laird about his latest book,  Creating the Canon: Composition, Controversy, and the Authority of the New Testament . Dr. Laird explains the process of can...

Tremendous suffering is the normal experience of being in this world. Beauty and love and joy are normal, but so is suffering. Alan Noble is a professor at Oklahoma Baptist University and has written a fantastic book on the burden and beautiful gift of living. In,  On Getting Out of Bed , Alan Noble encourages his readers to know that God loves them and that they are a part of his good creation in...

Jared Patrick Boyd is a pastor, spiritual director, and founding director of the Order of the Common Life, a missional monastic order reimagining religious vocations for the twenty-first century. He and his wife have four daughters and live in Columbus, Ohio. On this episode of the podcast, Jared and I discuss his latest book,  Finding Freedom in Constraint: Reimagining Spiritual Disciplines as a...