The Ordinary Christian Podcast

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...

I've written several times on physical health in the past and just recently, I wrote on gluttony. On this episode of the Podcast, I try to merge the gluttony conversation with a few words about physical health and what it looks like to find balance. I hope you will join me as we consider the steps you can take to battle gluttony, and how 5+1 can help you to find joy and satisfaction--and maybe...

Whenever you reach for your phone or scan a newspaper to get caught up, you are not being merely informed, you are also being formed. News consumption can shape your sense of belonging, how you judged the value of your life, and even how your brains function. Jeff Bilbro believes Christians must not let the news replace prayer, Bible reading, and simple disciplines of the Christian life. On this e...

Mark Noll is a retired professor of history and prolific author with a focus in history and the history of the church in America. His most recent book,  C. S. Lewis in America  looks at the reception of C. S. Lewis in America during and following World War II. In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Noll and I discuss Lewis, the need for academic rigor in evangelicalism, and the historical context beh...

Lyman Stone is a husband, father, and follower of Jesus. He is also a PhD Candidate in Sociology at McGill University. As a demographer, Lyman specializes in understanding fertility preferences. On this episode of the podcast, however, we focus primarily on what demographic data tells us about the state of marriage in the United States today. We consider the happiness that marriage brings, the bes...

Recently,  I wrote about anxiety,  and it resonated with many of you. Most of you know at least a little bit of what anxiety can feel like. You have experienced struggles or worries. Some anxiety is over large things, often we can even be anxious over small issues. Occasionally, we can feel anxious for seemingly nothing at all. In the midst of anxiety, all sorts of little things can feel like they...

Brian Owen is the planting pastor of  Grace City Church  in Boston, Massachusetts. Brian has a heart for redemption and helps us to see the terrible fall of sin in Genesis 3, but the great hope of the gospel that is pointed to first in that passage of Scripture. Along the way we discuss the differences between Boston and Camden, we celebrate the joy of Waffle House and Cracker Barrel, and SmashBur...

Nancy Pearcey's latest book is  The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes . Her earlier books include  Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality ,   The Soul of Science ,  Saving Leonardo ,  Finding Truth , and two ECPA Gold Medallion Award Winners:   How Now Shall We Live  (coauthored with Harold Fickett and Chuck Colson) and  Total Truth . Her...

Families usually share things in common--the Thompsons are all Atlanta Braves fans, for instance (and all but one of our kids are South Carolina Gamecock fans, but that is another bitter story). There really is joy to be found in shared experiences and commitments within the family. When members of the family are not on the same page--like having a Clemson fan in a Carolina household--the family c...

I have written several times through the years about why  you should be concerned with orphan care  and shared some of our  family’s story of adoption . On this episode of the podcast, my wife, Angela joins me to share about the needs for orphan care and to share a bit about our story. If you have ever considered orphan care as a possibility in your home, I know this episode can help you. If you h...

How much margin do you need in your life? How well do you know yourself? Terry Linhart joins me today to talk about some of the most common personal challenges we face in life and ministry. He offers some guided reflection to help us overcome our blindspots and become more effective leaders. If you could use help setting up healthy margins in your life or maybe processing your emotions, this podca...

Louis Markos is a professor of English at Houston Christian University. He is also an expert and scholar on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. On this episode of the podcast,  Dr. Markos  helps us to understand a little background on C. S. Lewis and gives us some tips on how to read Lewis a little more carefully. Dr. Markos shows us how C. S. Lewis is important for today and how we can use Lewis’s...

On this episode, I sit down with my friend and co-worker, Ginger Chestnut, to talk about  Lies Young Women Believe , parenting, and mentoring the next generation. Through the course of the conversation we discuss ice cream and popcorn for dinner, burned meals, and living room campouts. If you are a woman or young woman, you will love learning from Ginger's wisdom.  If you are a man or a young...

Pastors have a biblical expectation and responsibility to welcome guests into their homes. There is not a biblical expectation that they become extravagant hosts or live in a particular kind or size of home. There is not a biblical expectation that pastors  always  have people in their home. But, there is a biblical expectation that the homes of pastors be open to guests and that they welcome them...