Podcast appearances and mentions of Billy Graham Center

Join Aaron and Dexter Van Zile —Managing editor of the Middle East Forum publication Focus on Western Islamism—in a stunning conversation about why young Evangelicals are embracing Marxist Palestinian Christian nationalism and what they must give up to believe the lie. Are young Evangelicals being taught by Christian college instructors to despise the western world?Are young Evangelical men being emasculated in order to accept a new religion of Christian Marxism that submits to the Islamization of the western world?Why did an anti-Zionist, Christian Palestinian Marxist receive a standing ovation this week after speaking in the chapel at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College to a packed audience of students a faculty?

Could the workplace be one of the most strategic mission fields today? Could your daily vocation be a powerful tool for advancing God's kingdom? In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Jason Watson sits down with Tommy Lee, CEO of Resource Global, to explore the intersection of faith and work. Tommy shares his inspiring journey from business to ministry, how Resource Global equips young Christian professionals to be catalysts for gospel impact in their cities, and why he believes workplace discipleship is critical for global mission today. He also offers practical advice on stewarding influence, building meaningful partnerships, and taking the first small step toward kingdom impact—wherever you are. If this episode inspired you, subscribe to the Lausanne Movement Podcast, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs to hear it! Learn more about Resource Global and their work at resourceglobal.org Links & Resources: Resource Global: resourceglobal.org Email Tommy Lee: tlee@resourceglobal.org Up Next with Tommy Lee Podcast: https://www.resourceglobal.org/podcasts   Guest Bio: Tommy Lee is the founder and president of Resource Global, an organization dedicated to mentoring and equipping emerging Christian marketplace leaders to transform their cities and workplaces for the Gospel. He leads a global team across Chicago, Austin, Jakarta, Medan, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Nairobi, Pretoria/Johannesburg, and Hong Kong. Passionate about collaboration and global ministry (Acts 1:8), Tommy has worked with leaders and organizations such as A21, Navigators Chicago, Redeemer City to City, Lausanne, InterVarsity Urbana, TogetherLA with Tim Keller, and Ravi Zacharias Ministries. He has also helped plan strategic events for the Far East Broadcasting Company, the Billy Graham Center, World Relief, and the National Religious Broadcasters. Beyond Resource Global, Tommy serves as Executive Director of The Grow Center for Church and Mission at Northern Seminary, Managing Director of TogetherLA, and founder of CreatePossible LLC. He also sits on the boards of inContext and Renew Chicago. Previously, he worked in telecommunications, served as a pastor at Lakeview Church (IL), and spent 15 years mentoring students at Chinese Christian Union Church in Chicago. He holds a bachelor's degree from Washington University and a master's from Moody Theological Seminary. Based in Chicago, Tommy enjoys life with his wife, Charlene, and daughters, Samantha and Karra. He also hosts multiple podcasts—including one dedicated to his love of fantasy football, NFL Fantasy Matchup. We'd love your feedback to help us to improve this podcast. Thank you!

In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast we explore shifts in global Christianity with Dr Allen Yeh and Dr Matthew Niermann. Christianity is a dynamic and living faith which has experienced notable global shifts in the last 100 years, including the growth of Christianity in the Global South, the rise of Pentecostalism, and the continued addition of denominations, leading to the question, 'What is Polycentric Christianity?' If you are interested in the evolution of global Christinaity and its impact on mission then this episode is for you.  Subscribe to our podcast for more inspiring conversations about global mission and leadership. For further information about the Lausanne Movement, please visit our webpage: https://www.lausanne.org.   Links from this episode: Polycentric Missiology: 21st Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere Majority World Theology: Christian Doctrine in Global Context Follow Allen on X   Guest Bio: Allen Yeh is tenured Professor of Intercultural Studies and Missiology. His areas of geographical expertise are Latin America and China. He also has other academic interests in Gen Z, history, classical music, homiletics, social justice, the California missions, the Maya, and biographical interest in Jonathan Edwards (America's greatest theologian) and Adoniram Judson (America's first intercontinental missionary). He serves on the Board of Trustees for the International Theological Seminary (ITS), the Learning Synthesis Manager for the Lausanne Generations Conversation, and a Research Fellow with the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College. He is the author of several books including the seminal title Polycentric Missiology: 21st Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere.

EP.128 - Dr. Sam D. Kim is a Harvard-trained ethicist and the co-founder of 180 Church, located near Union Square in downtown Manhattan. Dr. Kim was appointed as a research fellow in Global Health and Social Medicine at the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School and is part of Harvard Catalyst. He is a also a recipient of the Lifelong Learning Fellowship at Yale Divinity School and Yale Medicine. He is a regular contributor at Christianity Today, YouVersion Bible App, Outreach, and the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. In this compelling conversation, Dr. Kim unpacks his riveting new book, A Holy Haunting. This is a must-listen for anyone struggling with their faith as Dr. Kim befriends the doubter, challenges the churchgoer, and gives fresh vision to our earnest questions.

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, we catch up with Daniel Yang. Daniel is the Director of the Billy Graham Center's Church Multiplication Institute at Wheaton College. Join Andrew and Michael as they talk with Daniel about the future of church multiplication, the influence of the generations, and the impact of the pandemic on … Continue reading "Episode 129: Church Multiplication with Daniel Yang"

Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, national commander of The Salvation Army, talks with Dr. Ed Stetzer, dean and professor at Wheaton College, leader of the Billy Graham Center, and executive committee member of the National Association of Evangelicals. They discuss challenges and opportunities in leading a faith community through a global pandemic, and how a balance of gospel demonstration and proclamation is essential to spreading the gospel love and message to the world.

CFTROU 0164: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed Stetzer Neighborhood churches can be an outpost to the neighborhood, through geographical proximity, investment in a group of people, and being intentional neighbors. Our guest today is Dr. Ed Stetzer, a friend, author, speaker, professor, dean, and executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Join us in our conversation with Dr. Stetzer on engaging with your neighborhood as we continue with our series about the importance of the neighborhood church. We dive into how the church can posture itself as an outpost in the local neighborhood through an intervening action to engage neighbors, how the cocooning cultural system is working to keep us from engaging, and we discuss why living counter-culturally is a key part of church life. We also touch on the concept of incarnational ministry and what it meansto be a true gospel witness. For all this, and much more, don't miss out on today's episode of Church for the Rest of Us! Key Points From This Episode: • More about Dr. Stetzer and what he is involved in currently.• How the term and concept of the neighborhood church grabs Dr. Stetzer.• How the church could potentially posture itself as an outpost to the neighborhood.• The intervening action that can help [church] members engage with neighborhoods.• Dr. Stetzer shares his strategy for engaging with your neighborhood.• How the current cultural system is built to keep us away from engaging with our neighbors.• We discuss the idea of what we missed when we stopped being a neighborhood church.• Why we should be living counter-culturally as a church.• Incarnational ministry: why we should be raising the question why?• Being true Gospel witnesses. CFTROU 0164: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed StetzerClick To TweetCFTROU 0164: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed StetzerClick To TweetCFTROU 0164: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed StetzerClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Dr. Ed Stetzer on LinkedIn Dr. Ed Stetzer on Twitter Dr. Ed Stetzer Personal Website The Art Of Neighboring James Davison Hunter He Gets Us Campaign Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

Recorded on 17 March 2022 for ICMDA Webinars. Dr Peter Saunders chairs a discussion between Bob Snyder, M.D. and Tyler Hallman who have worked together for 4 years learning from one another how to be a spiritual influencer with patients and colleagues, family and friends. Our legacies will be what we pass on to others. As Christians in the healthcare field, we have opportunity to leave our legacy of faith within the healthcare setting. How do we do that? Tune in to hear how you can, with intentionality, become a person of spiritual influence for Jesus—leaving a legacy of faith. Speaker profile: Dr Bob Snyder Founder, IHS Global Bob Snyder, M.D., is the Founder and President of IHS Global. He practiced emergency medicine for many years as co-chairman of the Emergency Department at Brandywine Hospital, Coatesville, PA. Dr. Snyder also served as adjunct faculty at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA. IHS Global's Saline Process™ healthcare witness training has equipped 41,251 Christian healthcare workers in 123 countries. Partnerships with Christian healthcare organizations such as ICMDA are foundational to what has become a global movement. Dedicated to changing the paradigm of evangelism, Dr. Snyder is a member of the Evangelism Leaders Fellowship (ELF) at the Billy Graham Center. Speaker profile: Tyler Hallman Tyler Hallman works alongside Bob Snyder at IHS Global. Together, they wrote the book, “Come, Walk with Me,” which is being read in over 30 countries. Tyler and Bob have been walking together in a unique mentorship relationship for more than 4 years. For free access to the book, Come, Walk With Me, visit: https://thefaithjourneyprocess.org To listen live to an ICMDA webinar, visit https://icmda.net/resources/webinars/

Welcome to the Word Made Digital Podcast! --- Daniel Yang currently serves as the Director of the Send Institute at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College where he leads and oversees all of its initiatives. Prior to directing the institute, Daniel planted a church in Toronto where he also helped recruit, assess, and train church planters through the Send Network and the Release Initiative. It is not overstating to say that the conversation about race, diversity and healthy belonging in the church is essential today and as it continues forward. We're thankful that Daniel would spend time with us and share his insights. --- Listen to our weekly episodes of the podcast: Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/xw8k2t2r Apple Music: https://tinyurl.com/ytms6na7 Google: https://tinyurl.com/bjraf4vy --- Learn more about Daniel Yang Website: http://koobxwm.com/ --- Learn more about Word Made Digital: Website: https://www.wordmadedigital.com/ Connect with us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/fsycm98m Join our Facebook Group "Digital Church": https://tinyurl.com/hfwuecm9 --- Thank you to our Season 7 sponsors: Compassion Canada: https://www.compassion.ca/​​​ The Church Co.: https://thechurchco.com/ Want to get started on your new website? Visit https://thechurchco.com/?via=wordmadedigital --- Music: "Good Morning" by Laxcity Musicbed Licensed

What do you do when you're around the dinner table or visiting family over the holidays and hear someone share misinformation? How do you have productive conversations and truthful exchanges that bring people together? From fake narratives that drive violence to the mundane myths that build a false foundation, Amanda and Holly talk about common misconceptions they hear, what they see when talking about the dangers of Christian nationalism, and how you can find areas of agreement with others. They share some specific ways they would handle difficult statements in one-on-one conversations. In segment three, Holly and Amanda talk about the pros and cons of online worship from their own experience. **You are listening to this podcast on the old feed. Search for "Respecting Religion" to find this podcast on its current feed.**   Segment one: Why is misinformation such a problem in Christian communities? (starting at 00:49): Amanda and Holly discuss this May webinar from the Council on Foreign Relations: Disinformation and Faith Communities, which featured Joan Donovan from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, along with Ed Stetzer of Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center.  They also mention a piece Stetzer wrote for USA Today in September 2020: “Evangelicals need to address the QAnoners in our midst” Amanda wrote this column for Baptist News Global about Michael Flynn's troubling comments: If you're paying attention to Christian nationalism, you won't be shocked by Michael Flynn's call for ‘one religion under God'     Segment two: Handling difficult conversations with others (starting at 14:28) Learn more about the Christian Against Christian Nationalism campaign at christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org. Amanda referenced this summer's webinar: White Christian Nationalism: How Racism Undergirds Christian Nationalism Amanda read this Tweet from author Kaitlyn Schiess: The problem with the “confront your family about politics on Thanksgiving” thing isn't that we can't influence our families or shouldn't have those conversations, it's thinking one tense dinner will do it.  Long, compassionate faithfulness > “bold” one-time confrontation.   Here are some resources to help combat misinformation from the Christians Against Christian Nationalism website: Frequently asked questions Small group curriculum: Responding to Christian Nationalism Webinars, including “Confronting Christian Nationalism in Your Congregation” are at this link Statement of Christians Against Christian Nationalism     Segment three (starting at 28:41): Online and in-person worship services Amanda and Holly talked about this NPR story by Deena Prichep: Worshipers found religious homes near and far thanks to virtual services   Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC. 

What do you do when you're around the dinner table or visiting family over the holidays and hear someone share misinformation? How do you have productive conversations and truthful exchanges that bring people together? From fake narratives that drive violence to the mundane myths that build a false foundation, Amanda and Holly talk about common misconceptions they hear, what they see when talking about the dangers of Christian nationalism, and how you can find areas of agreement with others. They share some specific ways they would handle difficult statements in one-on-one conversations. In segment three, Holly and Amanda talk about the pros and cons of online worship from their own experience.   Segment one: Why is misinformation such a problem in Christian communities? (starting at 00:49): Amanda and Holly discuss this May webinar from the Council on Foreign Relations: Disinformation and Faith Communities, which featured Joan Donovan from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, along with Ed Stetzer of Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center.  They also mention a piece Stetzer wrote for USA Today in September 2020: “Evangelicals need to address the QAnoners in our midst” Amanda wrote this column for Baptist News Global about Michael Flynn's troubling comments: If you're paying attention to Christian nationalism, you won't be shocked by Michael Flynn's call for ‘one religion under God'     Segment two: Handling difficult conversations with others (starting at 14:28) Learn more about the Christian Against Christian Nationalism campaign at christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org. Amanda referenced this summer's webinar: White Christian Nationalism: How Racism Undergirds Christian Nationalism Amanda read this Tweet from author Kaitlyn Schiess:The problem with the “confront your family about politics on Thanksgiving” thing isn't that we can't influence our families or shouldn't have those conversations, it's thinking one tense dinner will do it.  Long, compassionate faithfulness > “bold” one-time confrontation.   Here are some resources to help combat misinformation from the Christians Against Christian Nationalism website: Frequently asked questions Small group curriculum: Responding to Christian Nationalism Webinars, including “Confronting Christian Nationalism in Your Congregation” are at this link. Statement of Christians Against Christian Nationalism     Segment three (starting at 28:41): Online and in-person worship services Amanda and Holly talked about this NPR story by Deena Prichep: Worshipers found religious homes near and far thanks to virtual services   Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC. 

This weekend kicks off MissionsFest 2021, a week-long deep dive into all things missions. We will be joined in our services this Sunday by Dr. Ed Stetzer from Wheaton College and the Billy Graham Center, and he will be sharing a message called “The Commissions of Jesus for a Post-COVID World.”

Success Made to Last Mentoring Monday with Marion Medina of 4wordwomen. Marion is the Program Director for 4wordwomen and just moved from Wheaton, Illinois previously serving at Willow Creek and the Billy Graham Center on the college campus.  Hear Marion's clarity on mentoring, listening actively, communication triangularly with God and knowing how to ask beautiful questions.  This show is sponsored by gracefully-yours.com greeting cards and journals. Visit www.gracefully-yours.com and use the promotion code 4word women to get 25% off your purchase of any greeting cards or journals. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

It's no secret: Finishing this life with a God-honoring legacy isn't automatic and certainly isn't easy. So, in my twenties and thirties and again in my forties, I asked a number of older Christians to show me how it's done. Thankfully, they agreed! A few months before his death, best-selling author and international consultant Dr. Ted W. Engstrom invited me to spend a day together, just the two of us. His eyesight was gone, but his mind was still sharp. For hours, he told me about the things closest to his heart. Among other things, Ted told me about a pact he, Billy Graham, and Bill Bright had made decades earlier, before they became famous. “We promised each other that we would finish well,” Dr. Engstrom told me, smiling. “And just think—Bill Bright did just that! Billy Graham assures me he's going to be faithful to the end. And I fully intend to do the same!” _ David Sanford's book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).

If you pay close attention while reading the Gospels, you discover that nearly every time Jesus talks with someone, He uses a new approach. He does so for good reason. After all, each individual starts at a different place, with different beliefs and misconceptions, with different hang-ups and sins, with different needs and circumstances, and with different kinds of relationships with God and others. David Sanford’s book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).

If you pay close attention while reading the Gospels, you discover that nearly every time Jesus talks with someone, He uses a new approach. He does so for good reason. After all, each individual starts at a different place, with different beliefs and misconceptions, with different hang-ups and sins, with different needs and circumstances, and with different kinds of relationships with God and others. David Sanford’s book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).

Pastor Daryl Crouch talks about Martin Luther King's famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and its continued impact on the Church and him.  Andrew MacDonald of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College talks about the problem churches are facing dealing with conspiracy theories.

Pastor Daryl Crouch talks about Martin Luther King's famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and its continued impact on the Church and him.  Andrew MacDonald of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College talks about the problem churches are facing dealing with conspiracy theories.

Hugh covers the news of the morning and talks with Edward Stetzer, Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, and Dr. Michael Oren, former Deputy Minister for Diplomacy in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and author of “The Night Archer: and Other Stories.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a quick break from our Tactics series to sit down with Josh Laxton. Josh has a PhD in Missiology and works as the Assistant Director of the Billy Graham Center and Assistant Director of Lausanne North America at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. Cole and Josh have a conversation about music, missions, and more!

What will mission look like for churches in the post-Covid world? In this webinar FIEC National Director John Stevens is joined by Ed Stetzer, professor and dean at Wheaton College and Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center, to discuss mission in the post-Covid church. This is followed by a Q&A with church leaders. You can watch this webinar and find further resources on the FIEC website.

How Jesus Sees His Kingdom The third and largest sphere in our diagram is God’s Kingdom. Without question, Jesus Christ is the rightful, exalted King of God’s Kingdom.

God’s Kingdom is the context through which He is advancing His purposes through humanity here on earth.

That context includes God’s work around the world and down of all ages through emperors, kings, prime ministers, presidents, governors, mayors, and other government officials, whether or not they believe in God yet. David Sanford’s book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).

So how, exactly, does the Lord Jesus Christ see each member of humanity? The answer, it turns out, is more relevant than ever—and has three parts. The three parts are: God’s Kingdom. God’s Family. God’s Church.

They’re not the same, but how are they different? People in the churches we lead need to know!

At the risk of oversimplifying what the Bible teaches, allow me to use the image of three concentric circles. Eternity will be enjoyed by all God’s Family down through the ages... Read the full article at https://pastorresources.com/how-does-jesus-see-humanity-part-1/ David Sanford’s book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).

The Billy Graham Center's Andrew MacDonald talks about dangers of QAnon, why it's appealing, and how to reveal the truth about it.  World affairs expert David Aikman talks about Sudan joining other Muslim majority nations recognizing Israel as well as China persecuting Bob Fu.

The Billy Graham Center's Andrew MacDonald talks about dangers of QAnon, why it's appealing, and how to reveal the truth about it.  World affairs expert David Aikman talks about Sudan joining other Muslim majority nations recognizing Israel as well as China persecuting Bob Fu.

8/28/2020 – Josh Laxton on crisis leadership from a Christian perspective. The post Josh Laxton with the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center speaking on crisis leadership from a Christian perspective. appeared first on Pilgrim Radio.

Should churches continue to exclusively meet online after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides? In this episode, Dhati Lewis interviews Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor at Life.Church, Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and Micah Fries, senior pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church, about continuing to meet online as a church after the pandemic subsides and if our new way of gathering should be long term norm. Mentions: Church Online

Should churches continue to exclusively meet online after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides? In this episode, Dhati Lewis interviews Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor at Life.Church, Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and Micah Fries, senior pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church, about continuing to meet online as a church after the pandemic subsides and if our new way of gathering should be the long-term norm. Mentions: Church Online

Rob talks with Dr. Josh Laxton, Assistant Director of the Billy Graham Center, about how to lead in the midst of the COVID Crisis and the vast amounts of information that seem to be coming from so many different sources. www.joshlaxton.com Social Media: @JoshLaxton Joshua.Laxton@wheaton.edu The bingo card that Josh mentions can be found on this PowerPoint Presentation that he did with Ed Stetzer. Download it here. 

What we’re seeing right now with COVID-19 is not the crisis—it’s only phase one. How can the Church be prepared for the coming phases of the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode, Dhati Lewis interviews Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and an expert consultant on crisis management, about the Church’s response to COVID-19, the different phases we’ll experience and the hopeful new normal after the crisis subsides.

What we’re seeing right now with COVID-19 is not the crisis—it’s only phase one. How can the Church be prepared for the coming phases of the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode, Dhati Lewis interviews Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and an expert consultant on crisis management, about the Church’s response to COVID-19, the different phases we’ll experience and the hopeful new normal after the crisis subsides.

In this episode, Josh sits down with Jonathan Feldstein, Founder and President of Genesis123 Foundation and organizer of Run for Zion, to talk about how he as an Orthodox Jew seeks to be a bridge builder between Jews and Christians as well as to help connect Christians to Israel in meaningful ways. [P.S. Runners will especially love this podcast.]

In this special episode, Josh and Laurie talk about how Christians can respond to fears and uncertainty regarding the novel coronavirus. You can find updates on COVID-19 here.

In this episode of LitLoo, Laurie and Josh talk with James Choung on his new book on revival. We all long for revival, but are we doing what we need to be doing to get there? And how will we know what’s it’s happening anyways?

This week, Laurie and Josh talk with Valerie Bell, CEO of Awana, about her new book, “Resilient,” and how to raise the next generation to love Jesus and to be disciples who are able to live out their faith in all areas of life.

Rev. Dr. Sam D. Kim is the Co-founder of  180 Church , near Union Square in downtown Manhattan. Dr. Kim is a  Yale-Hastings  Scholar at the  Hastings  Center exploring the crisis of physician burnout in academic medicine and health care from an ethical perspective in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania. He was appointed as a research  Fellow  in Global Health and Social Medicine at the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School and part of Harvard catalyst, where he explored and taught on inequities surrounding health, immigration and social policies. He is a recipient of the Lifelong learning  Fellowship  at Yale Divinity School and Yale Medicine, which aims to to close the gap between faith and science, and is awarded by the  John Templeton  Foundation and  AAAS . A passionate advocate for the immigrant and the most vulnerable He was invited to the White House to join a conversation involving dreamers during the Obama Administration. He played a key role along with other clergy in advancing policies supportive of Dreamers and urging passage of DACA, and has continued his tireless advocacy ever since, including recent persuasive writing on behalf of more just  immigration policies . Also, one of the prominent evangelical Christian leaders who opposed an executive order banning refugees from the seven predominantly Muslim countries covered by  CNN  and the  Washington Post. He is a regular contributor at Christianity Today  Exchange , Bible App at  youversion  and the Billy Graham Center at  Wheaton College . He writes on, the  church,culture  and  evangelism. Hubs to Lydia, Dad to Nathan and Josh and best pals with his dog Brownie. I met Sammy Kim at a young influencers mentoring day this past summer. I'm telling you all – get ready to LEARN today, we're gonna have some fun!

This week, Laurie and Josh talk with Mary Lederleitner, author of Women in God’s Mission, about women in leadership. Mary shares some fascinating insights found during her research of dozens of women leaders around the world.

Today, Laurie and Josh talk with Dr. Jamie Aten about the intersection of disasters and faith. Speaking from his own experience in having Stage 4 colon cancer and having experienced Hurricane Katrina, Aten offers insight and tools in dealing with suffering and tragedy, ultimately offering hope that through trials we can become stronger.

This week, Laurie and Josh talk to pastor and author Kevin Harney about the marks of spiritual maturity and a life of discipleship, including the call to evangelism as a way of life.

Today, Josh and Laurie talk about the power of laughter and joy, diving into four things we need to get us through dark times and back towards joy.

In this episode, Josh and Laurie talk to evangelist, chaplain, and author of “God Space” Doug Pollack about what it means to be a “recovering evangelist” and what an evangelism for today looks like.

Welcome to season 3 of EquippingU Podcast! Terry and Alan are joined by Ed Stetzer, an expert on church planting, executive director for the Billy Graham Center, and more! Join their discussion on evangelism, leadership, and the mission of Jesus. Check out Ed's website to learn more about him and to gather great resources for your ministry: www.edstetzer.com We'll see you for episode 2 on January 30th, 2020!

To kick off the new year Josh and Laurie are talking with Daniel Yang, pastor, and director of the Send Institute, about what a true and good prophetic voice looks like today. Is it for the church, the world? How do we enter the process of knowing when and how to speak well?

Lessons From a Father That Was Always There (Part 1) - Crawford LorittsLessons From a Father That Was Always There (Part 2) - Crawford LorittsFamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. The Most Important Things Guest:                         Crawford Loritts                    From the series:       Lessons from a Father Who Was Always There (Day 2 of 2)  Bob: What's the right balance, as a parent, between protecting your children and letting them experience enough of life that they wind up with a few scars? Here's Dr. Crawford Loritts. Crawford: I understand the need to protect them from the evils, and the sin, and the hellishness that's in our culture; but I have to tell you—protection is not development. I'm terribly concerned about this movement among some of us that wants to hover over our kids—and pull them back and sanitize and sterilize their environments—in such a way that they don't interact with the evil world/a dark world, in which they were born to redeem, and impact, and be salt and light in! Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Tuesday, March 13th. Our host is Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Where does protection fit into our priorities, as parents; and how much freedom should we give our children? We'll hear from Crawford Loritts on that today. Stay with us. 1:00 And welcome to FamilyLife Today. Thanks for joining us on the Tuesday edition. When I was in high school, our choir sang a song that was based on the final instructions that King David gave to his son as David was dying and as Solomon was taking over. I don't know if choirs are allowed to sing songs that biblical in our day, but our high school choir sang this when I was growing up. It's stuck with me all these years—David's counsel to his son—from a father, who's dying. He had wise words to share with his son.  In fact, we're going to hear today from Crawford Loritts about how important and how powerful it is for a father to instruct, and coach, and model for his son what really matters. Dennis: Crawford is the pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia.  2:00 He is the father of four children / he's the husband of Karen, and they have ten grandchildren. As you listen to Crawford share this story from the Scriptures, I want you to think about what you're charging your kids with today. Are you challenging them with a high enough standard? Are you challenging them with the right goal? Are you challenging them with an eternal goal? I think, Bob, we need to be putting before our children a biblical standard for how they should live throughout their lives; and I think we ought to allow a story like this, from 1 Kings, Chapter 2, to be like the song that you said you remembered all the way back to your childhood—just that it might stick in our hearts and we carry the burden of realizing we need to shape and direct the next generation. Bob: I think we'll get some good coaching from Crawford, as moms and dads, to know: “What are the important things we should be focusing on as we pass on a legacy to our sons and our daughters?”   3:00 Here's Part Two of a message from Dr. Crawford Loritts on “Lessons on Integrity from a Father Who Lived It.” [Recorded Message] Crawford: In 1 Kings, Chapter 2, verses 1-4, David is dying / David is leaving—the legendary David. As he's dying, he calls his son, Solomon, in to make a grand handoff. David was consciously aware of the fact that legacies are not guaranteed—they are not guaranteed. And yet, Solomon was being tapped as next in line. David was about to go be in the very presence of God. It's almost as if, as you read the text, the emotional context is really compelling. It's as if David is reaching out and grabbing his son, Solomon, by the lapels and pulling him close. [Emotion in voice]  4:00 In these four verses, it's almost as if David is saying: “Son, this is what I've lived for. These are the footprints in the sand, and I need you to embrace what you were born for.” And parenthetically, as we raise our children—from the time they're little somethings / from the time they're tiny—we need to be whispering in their ears that they were born for the glory of God and for the plan and the purposes of God: “This is what you were born for, and everything in your life has to be lined up for your moment in history—that you're just passing through here. You're going to be very dead one day. One day, God's going to say, ‘Give Me back My breath.'  5:00 “What were you born for? What are you living for? What are you doing?”  It's amazing, when people are dying, how essence they are—all the other garbage, and all the other frills, and all the other stuff—it doesn't make any difference anymore. David is dying. As he dies, he charges Solomon with these three things—he charges Solomon to live courageously; he charges Solomon to live obediently; and he charges Solomon to live faithfully. I'll say a few words, and then I'll be done. First of all, he charges Solomon: “I want you to live, Solomon. I want you to live. I want you to live courageously.” Verse 1 says, “When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, ‘I am about to go the way of all the earth.'”  6:00 Now, notice this line: “‘Be strong; show yourself a man,'”—“My time is up; it's coming to a close. The ball is being placed in your hands. Solomon, I am challenging you to press through the challenges and the opportunities of your responsibilities. I need you, Solomon, to step up.” In fact, in the Hebrew, the expression, “show yourself a man,” literally is, “become a man.” I think what David was saying to Solomon was: “Solomon, Solomon, Solomon—I need you to rise up to what you were born for.” Solomon was to become what being the king of Israel required—required.  I could get off into this, but I don't have time to do this. I actually think we coddle this generation a little bit too much— 7:00  —I actually think we soften them a little bit too much. We don't give them what they need. I believe the text doesn't say that perhaps David sensed some weakness in Solomon. Solomon was not like his daddy. David ran for 16 years, hiding out in caves from Saul. David was a tough dude, and David experienced some hard stuff—he didn't silver spoon it. Solomon grew up with a little bit more cotton around him, and a little more cushion around him, and a little more options, and a little more resources—he had stuff to choose from. David probably sensed in him: “Solomon, I—I don't know that you have the grit and the resilience that you need to do what needs to be done. You have to show yourself a man. Show yourself a man,”— 8:00 —conviction versus compliance.  I am concerned about how we are raising some of our kids. I understand the need to protect them from the evils, and the sin, and the hellishness that's in our culture—don't get me wrong—the margins are almost erased right now. I get that / I get that. We pray for our 11 grandkids and what they're going through; I mean, there are just too many opportunities for evil. But I have to tell you—protection is not development. I'm terribly concerned about this movement among some of us that wants to hover over our kids—and pull them back and sanitize and sterilize their environments in such a way—that they don't interact with the evil world/a dark world, in which they were born to redeem, and impact, and be salt and light in! David says: “Solomon; hey buddy, you have to step into some stuff. Live courageously—don't run from the challenges; but run to God to get what you need to face the challenges, Solomon.”  9:00 Secondly, he says, “Solomon, live obediently.” Tender words, here, in verse 3, “And keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses.” When you do exposition, you always have to pay attention to the emotional context. I think this is biographical—I think David was saying to Solomon, in so many words: “Solomon”—it was not just about the Davidic covenant / not just about the promises of David—I think he had that in mind, because the text says so; but I think there's something else going on here. I think David wanted his son to love God's Word the way he did! He wanted him to cherish it the way he did: “Solomon, you need to bring your life in line with the truth of God's Word.  10:00 “You need to live it—not just speak it, not just quote it, not just argue your paradigms and all that stuff about it—but you need to live this stuff. You need to live it. You need to live it. You need to live it. You need to live it.” This is what David was saying to Solomon: “Solomon, listen to me, buddy; you can't do it, man. You can't do it. I need you to cherish this book. If you're going to be successful / if you're going to make it, you're going to have to walk with God; you're going to have to love this book; you're going to have to listen to this book.” David was telling Solomon: “Hey, buddy; don't get cute. Don't get cute. Don't think that because I'm your daddy, you're on the throne, and you've inherited this throne at a very important time—and I'll become a living legend, and this stuff is being passed off to you— 11:00 “—don't think that this is sustainable—that somehow or another, vicariously, my background you can broker and that will make you a good person. You need to walk with this, son—you need to love it.” We need to raise our kids to say: “You don't have to do me proud,” “You don't have to be anything that you think I want you to be,”—take that off the table—“But you do have to obey God.” But then he says, thirdly, “You have to live faithfully.” I suppose, technically, faithfulness is a subset of obedience—that's probably accurate—but I want to parse it out a bit here; because he says, here in verse 4, “…that the Lord may establish His Word that He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before Me in faithfulness with all their hearts…'”— 12:00 —what is he saying? David is saying: “Hey look. You know the mess in my life; okay?” David ended well, but he had some major “oops.” I believe he's saying: “You know the mess between me and your mama; okay—it's well-documented. [Laughter] It wasn't cool—you know about Nathan; you know about my brokenness; you know about my repentance. By the grace of God, I've gotten back on the right track, boy; and you have got to be faithful!”  13:00 In other words, “You have to remember where you came from and what's been placed in your hands.” You see, faithfulness means to obey God in the little things. It is a daily commitment to do the right, honorable things, and often the difficult things—often the difficult things. You see, to me, greatness is not notoriety / greatness is not recognition.  You know, I was being interviewed several years ago. Somebody said something / they heard something—and they used the words, “Boy, you're approaching greatness…” or something like that—first of all, they need to get out more; [Laughter] but when they said that, I said: “No, no, no, no; no. Greatness is buried, side by side, in Old Dominion Cemetery in Roanoke, Virginia—Crawford and Sylvia Loritts—because they were faithful/faithful.” 14:00 And David was telling his boy: “Every single day—in the small things / the big things; the things that people don't see, behind closed doors—get after it, Solomon. Get after it.” One of the greatest things you can do—rather than trying to raise your kids to be a great speaker, or a great athlete, or this kind of thing / this kind of thing—teach them how to just be consistent in following through on the noble, right things: “You hurt my heart, son. Why?—because: “Loritts, we don't steal,” / “You show up, boy. I heard you were late for that little job you had. Show up.” 15:00 Some time ago, my oldest son, Bryan, and I—we were speaking at—this was a few years ago—we were speaking at the Billy Graham Center at the Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. While we were there, I said to Bryan: “We have a break in the afternoon.” I said: “You know, do you want to go back down to Conover, North Carolina? It's less than an hour away. That's the old homestead—that's where Peter held forth, and my grandfather, Milton, and where my dad was born.” Bryan was excited, because he hadn't been there since he was a little guy. We went on down I-40 there, and got off at the Newton Conover exit, and snaked over the railroad tracks—I hadn't been there in years—back to Second Street. I was surprised I could find my way over there. As soon as you cross on Second Street, on the right-hand side is a little tiny church called Thomas Chapel AME Zion Church.  16:00 Interestingly enough, my grandfather had given the land for that little church to be built on. Behind the church, there's a cemetery. The cemetery, interestingly enough, was there before the church was there—there's a cemetery. About a half to almost two-thirds of the bodies in that cemetery are related to Lorittses.  As Bryan and I were walking around the cemetery, I was reminding him who some of these people were—you know: “That's Pop's brother, your Great-uncle Ordell,” and “That's Uncle Hayes, right there,” “Here's Uncle Emery,” and “There's Aunt Annie, right there,” “There's your Great-grandfather—my grandfather, Milton / Pop's dad,” and “There's his wife, Anna, right here.”  17:00 As I began to just tell him about these people, I was ambushed by emotion. I began to weep; and I said to Bryan—I said: “Son, these people paid your tuition. They paid your tuition.” I guess the charge I want to make to you today—as you look at your children, and you look at the future and look at a time that you cannot see, and you're making the investments in their lives—you're doing the drudgery, day in and day out—and you're correcting them, and disciplining them, and you're laughing with them, and you're going through the struggles / “Are they ever going to get out of my house?”—or all this stuff that's going on—keep in mind: “You're paying their tuition. What are you investing in them? 18:00 “Will they be able to live courageously? Will they live obediently, and will they live faithfully?” Holy Father, thank You for Your Spirit; thank You for Your power; thank You for Your grace. Thank You for what You mean to us.  Lord, the most intimidating thing we do, as a parent—You've entrusted with us those precious lives that bear the image of our great God. There's a devil out there; there are all kinds of mess. They have their own temptations and issues; but Spirit of the living God, we pray that You'll help us to roll up our sleeves so that we can look each one in the eye, when that moment comes, and say, “By the grace of God, I did the best I could.”  We love You, Lord Jesus.  19:00 Thank You for what You will do. In Jesus' name, Amen. [Studio] Bob: Again, today, we've been listening to the second part of a message from our friend, Crawford Loritts, the pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia—a message that Crawford shared at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, their conference on parenting that was held, back last fall. It's a timely message; and one that we felt is important for our listeners as we try to live intentionally, as moms and dads, raising the next generation. Dennis: And Bob, as you know, Barbara and I have been working on a book called The Art of Parenting. It's going to be a part of, really, the largest resource launch in FamilyLife®'s 41-year history—that'll occur in May and, also, next summer—where we're going to be setting our sights on equipping one million parents to raise their children to fulfill God's design and blueprints for their lives. 20:00 I just want our listeners to get ready to maybe be a recipient of some of that training or to be a messenger. That's a part of what Crawford was talking about here—you've raised your children, intentionally; but you're also thinking about the next generation: “How can you send a living message to a time that you will not see?” Crawford spoke powerfully about that in his message, Bob, where he's really challenging us to outlive ourselves—live through our children / live through the generation to come—to make an impact upon their culture and the people they influence. Bob: If you missed any part of the message, you can go back and listen, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Let me also mention—there's information available there about a new resource that FamilyLife has been working on for more than a year now. It's an eight-session video series called FamilyLife's Art of Parenting™. It's going to be available for small groups; it's also going to be available, online, for moms and dads to go through—just the two of you working through it, if you'd like. 21:00 Crawford's son, Bryan, and his daughter-in-law, Korie, are one of the contributors to FamilyLife's Art of Parenting—so is Alistair Begg, and Kevin DeYoung, and Dr. Meg Meeker—there's a great list of folks who join you and Barbara on this video series. Again, you can get more information / you can watch a preview of The Art of Parenting when you go to FamilyLifeToday.com and find out more about how you can order the material or how you can access it as soon as it's available in early May. We're kicking all of this off with a movie that we've created called Like Arrows. It's a movie that stars Alan Powell and Micah Lynn Hanson. Alex Kendrick has a role, as well; and Alex and Stephen helped us with the production of this film. It's in theaters two nights only, and we're hoping that our FamilyLife Today family—many of you—will make plans to join us on a Tuesday night/Thursday night. Bring your friends / pack the theaters, and come out to see Like Arrows.  22:00 Tickets are on sale now. You can find out more / you can see a trailer for the movie when you go to FamilyLifeToday.com. If you have any questions, give us a call at 1-800-358-6329.  Finally, let me mention that we have copies of the book that Crawford Loritts has written, called Never Walk Away: Lessons on Integrity from a Father Who Lived It. It's available in our FamilyLife Today Resource Center. You can order Crawford's book, where he reflects on things he learned from his own father. Again, go to FamilyLifeToday.com to order; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. You know, I mentioned this new parenting emphasis for FamilyLife. Our goal is to begin a movement of intentional parenting, not just in the church, but we want to take this content and deliver it to people, who aren't listening to FamilyLife Today / folks who may not be going to church currently.  23:00 We're developing strategies to help us put this content in the hands of people, who are right now far from God and far from the church, but people who are open to hearing what the Bible has to say about parenting. In the process, they'll get a chance to hear the gospel; and who knows how God might use this series in their lives? If you'd like to help us reach more people with this content—we're calculating it's going to take about $10 per home to be able to get this material in the hands of folks, who are far from God and far from the church. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com, and you can make a donation to help support our efforts; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Of course, every donation you give helps advance the mission of FamilyLife. You help us reach more people more regularly with God's design for marriage and family—that's what we're all about here. So, again, you can give, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. When you do, we'll say, “Thank you,” by sending you a set of seven prayer cards designed for moms and dads or for grandparents to be praying more intentionally for your children or your grandchildren.  24:00 The prayer cards are our gift to you when you help support the work. We appreciate your partnership with us in the work we're doing, here, at FamilyLife Today. And we hope you'll join us back tomorrow, when we're going to hear from another man about the impact his father had on his life. Rick Rigsby joins us tomorrow. I hope you can be back with us as well. I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.  FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru® Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.  We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs?   Copyright © 2018 FamilyLife. All rights reserved. www.FamilyLife.com  

With 2020 upon us, Laurie and Josh talk resolutions and new beginnings, arguing for the case of living intentionally and uniquely this coming year.

In this episode, Josh and Laurie talk about burnout, rest, and how to recapture a lifestyle that leads us to health and worship. It’s a episode to encourage your spirit as Christmas and the New Year draw near.

Why do children love Jesus so much? In the Gospels, it’s clear that they loved Jesus because He first loved them. Jesus wasn’t posing for future artists when He invited children to gather around him. Actually, He didn’t have to do any coaxing. Children loved Him. So did their parents, who were eager for Jesus to bless their children. Read the full article at https://www.pastorresources.com/cultivating-guarding-childrens-love-for-jesus/ Written by David Sanford coaches leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in every major sphere of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).

This week on the podcast, Laurie and Josh talk to Carrie Headington, Founder of the Good News Initiative and Evangelist in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, about politics and faith. Growing up in a political family, Carrie has seen first hand how these two go hand in hand—or don’t. What do we need to remember about politics and faith when all is said and done?

 Grief Lamentations November 10, 2019    Introduction: Power point of 75th images on our FB page that people can save and make the image their phone background as a reminder! One man described grief like this As for grief, you’ll find it comes in When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. All you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive. In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months or years, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. However, in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything…and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life. Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall or 50 feet tall. While they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming; an anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or landing at O’Hare. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. When it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out. Grief is the emotional and mental response to loss (loss of a job, a relationship, a dream, a loved one’s life, etc.)! This loss sets off numerous emotions at the same time a series of conflicting thoughts, which all seem to be on steroids.    The book of Lamentations is about the deep grief the people of Jerusalem felt after God used Babylon to destroy the city Jerusalem, broke down their walls of defense, burned the temple, the king’s house and every house in the city, and took the people captive back to Babylon. They knew their own sin brought all this on!  While the whole book details out the condition of the city and the people, let’s get a general feel for it by just looking at a few summary verses Read 1:1, 3 On top of that There was destruction everywhere and it touched everyone. Bodies were lying in the streets of both young and old who were slain by both the sword and by the hunger of famine To get a feel for what they were feeling think back of the images you saw the morning after the Twin Towers came down in New York on Sept 11, 2001 Now let’s look at the condition of the people who had lost so much The Condition of the People It said: They were mourning and moaning and tears ran down like a river day and night. They were full of bitterness, greatly troubled and depressed in the core of their beings without hope or joy. Their strength failed and they were faint all day long, they were worn out and found no rest. Then the book is closed with this prayer.   Read 5:19-22 The grieving soul is not always pretty and is full of many conflicting thoughts and emotions. How do you minister to someone like this, or if you are the person how do you find your bearings at a time like that? Actually the book of Lamentations gives us   Two pillars of truth that sustain us in grief! The first is to set my mind on God’s loving kindness and compassion. Turn to Lamentations 3. Read 3:21-24 What gives us hope again is to redirect our thoughts back to the Lord’s loving kindness and His compassion and His faithfulness and that in the midst of the pain, daily He will give fresh mercies for what you need Loving kindness has to do with God’s love towards us based on our covenant relationship with Him. He is faithful to His promises to care for us Compassion has to do with God’s love towards us based upon the fact that His heart is moved towards us when He sees us in need! It is not just His promise to care for us but His heart for us that moves Him to meet us daily in our needs! Knowing this is true to wait upon the Lord for the deliverance He will bring. Read 25-26. The second truth that helps us regain our bearings in the middle of grief is recognizing God’s sovereignty - that nothing touches our life apart from God directing it or allowing it for purposes that are often higher than we can understand! Read 3:37-38 Lon Alison, formerly the executive director of the Billy Graham Center, after being diagnosed with very aggressive liver cancer he was asked, “How this has impacted his faith and view of God?” He said, I have clung to two truths to sustain me. First is the sovereignty of God:  The second great truth is His love for me and my family:   The sovereignty of God means He has authority over this situation. He has allowed this cancer to strike me. He can cure it in a nanosecond, or allow it to grow within me. He is in charge. The love of God reminds me of His goodness lavished upon me and mine with His love. He is not a tyrant God, nor an absent God. His love is always present and extravagant. Those twin doctrines sustain me. The Book of Lamentations Confirms three things for those who are suffering! First God’s love and God’s sovereignty help you regain your bearings in the midst of grief!     Second, it is a battle to turn your mind from the pain of your circumstances to the Lord! Finally, God’s daily compassions and faithfulness will carry you through your grief! Interview I have asked four people who have recently gone through the deep experience of grief to share their story with us!

This week on the podcast, Carrie Headington, Founder of the Good News Initiative and Evangelist in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, talks about evangelism, God at work in the world, and the wonder of Jesus. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss!

Augustine’s Confessions was the very first Western autobiography. Countless others have followed. The newest is by Brent C. Hofer. Brent, what’s it about? As pastors, it’s not enough for us to manage anger. Recovery is possible. I’m living proof. Confessions of an Angry Man is my redemptive story. Read the full article at https://www.pastorresources.com/confessions-of-an-angry-pastor/ Written by David Sanford coaches pastors and other Christian leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in every major sphere of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC). Read by Jim Buttrey from http://www.homesuitehomestudio.com/

It happened again this past Monday. A dedicated, hard-working veteran pastor told me about the problems within his church. He listed a number of tell-tale markers as he expressed his deep frustrations. When he was done, I paused, noting the pain written across his face. I then asked: “Is it possible that your personal issues have colored or clouded your perceptions?”... Read the full article at https://www.pastorresources.com/are-you-a-disquieted-pastor/ Written by David Sanford coaches pastors and other Christian leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in every major sphere of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove. He can be reached at sanforddr@gmail.com. Read by Jim Buttrey from http://www.homesuitehomestudio.com/

People are much more receptive to hearing about our Christian faith than what being is reported. What they are not a fan of is the approach. Rick Richardson, author of "You Found Me" and director of the Billy Graham Center, reveals the two main fears people have when it comes to church and steps we can take to defuse these fears before you invite family and friends. Learn to connect today to reach people who don't know Christ.

In this Q&A, Davidson discusses some of her book’s applications to pastors and ministry. Do you hope pastors will use your book when they counsel others? Yes, but first read it for you... Read the full article at https://www.pastorresources.com/pastors-transforming-wounds-into-wisdom/ Written by David Sanford coaches pastors and other Christian leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in every major sphere of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC).  Read by Jim Buttrey from http://www.homesuitehomestudio.com/

This week, Laurie and Josh tackle the tough topic of What Is Church? What are we supposed to be anyways, and are we being the people God has called us to be? Laurie and Josh delve deep into challenging all of us to take a hard look at our lives and our focus.

Professor of Evangelism at Wheaton College and World renown C. S. Lewis Scholar Dr. Jerry Root joins the Living in the Land of Oz podcast this week to share on how we can make "Jesus" known to the world. Expounding from his book "The Sacrament of Evangelism," Jerry shares how God loves and works in everyone more than we could imagine, he brings unique insights about sharing the gospel into the discussion with Laurie and Josh.

My goal is to show you some startling research and help you understand a few very powerful leadership skills. These practices—if cultivated and practices—can help you avoid some ministry frustrations altogether. Used in response to existing problems, these skills are remarkable correctives. I have seen them make happy leaders even healthier and more effective. I’ve also seen them help weary leaders recover a sense of balance and joy. Almost like a vaccine, these practices have been shown to protect pastors against burnout and pave the way to transformational leadership. Read the full article at https://www.pastorresources.com/the-emotionally-intelligent-pastor/ Author - David Sanford coaches pastors and other Christian leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in every major sphere of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from UC Berkeley (CA) to The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC). Read by Jim Buttrey from http://www.homesuitehomestudio.com/

Dr. Ed Stetzer serves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College, and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, has earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books.Bob MacGregor is an MFI local church pastor who has in the last 14 years planted 9 local church plants along with sending five families to various unreached areas of the world to Coach and establish church planting movements led by indigenous leaders. This app will address the strategies and ways a local church can engage in planting missional churches.Ministers Fellowship International exists to help leaders build healthy, strong, impacting churches and to do so in a way that makes for a healthy leader. We hope that you this teaching left you more encouraged and equipped today. If you would like to be a part of the MFI Family or learn more visit mfileader.org

Ed Stetzer serves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College, and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, has earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books.Bob MacGregor is an MFI local church pastor who has in the last 14 years planted 9 local church plants along with sending five families to various unreached areas of the world to Coach and establish church planting movements led by indigenous leaders. This app will address the strategies and ways a local church can engage in planting missional churches.Ministers Fellowship International exists to help leaders build healthy, strong, impacting churches and to do so in a way that makes for a healthy leader. We hope that you this teaching left you more encouraged and equipped today. If you would like to be a part of the MFI Family or learn more visit mfileader.org

Dr Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, exhorts believers as active ambassadors of Christ, representing him out of love for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and gratitude for the gospel. The post Representing Jesus and His Kingdom appeared first on DTS Voice.

Dr Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, exhorts believers as active ambassadors of Christ, representing him out of love for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and gratitude for the gospel. The post Representing Jesus and His Kingdom appeared first on DTS Voice.

According to Forbes, pastoring is one of the Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs that exist today. Pastoring isn't easy, and pastors need love, recognition, and support just as much as anybody else.In honor of Pastor Appreciation Month, Laurie interviews Josh—a pastor himself—about his journey into ministry, his ups and downs as a pastor, and what the relationship between a pastor and a congregation should look like.On December 6th, the Billy Graham Center will be hosting a GC2 Summit called Facing Hard Truths and Challenges of Pastoral Ministry. If you like this episode, we encourage you to join us.

8/28/19 – Josh Laxton – assistant director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, on what weakens faith and how to strengthen it. The post What weakens faith and how to strengthen it appeared first on Pilgrim Radio.

“Many churches in America are stalled in their conversion growth, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” writes Rick Richardson in his new book, You Found Me. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine, talks to Richardson about the best practices of congregations that are “effectively reaching people and having an impact in their communities.” Rick Richardson is director of the Billy Graham Center Institute and its Church Evangelism Initiative. The institute is the research arm of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, where Richardson also serves in the graduate school as professor of evangelism and leadership. He is author of You Found Me: New Research on How Unchurched Nones, Millennials, and Irreligious Are Surprisingly Open to Christian Faith, published by IVP Books.

Josh Laxton is a native of Tennessee and has been serving the local church in vocational ministry for almost twenty years mainly as a Lead Pastor replanting and revitalizing churches. He is a scholar-practitioner who is passionate about mobilizing the church to effectively participate in the Missio-Dei. Josh has worked with and written for LifeWay Research, Ed Stetzer, NewChurches, and Outreach.com. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Billy Graham Center and Lausanne North American Coordinator at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. We had a chance to sit down and chat at the annual Amplify Conference on evangelism. I'm excited to share this with you.

In this episode we will be talking with Daniel Yang about church planting trends. Daniel currently serves as the Director of the Send Institute at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College where he leads and oversees all of its initiatives. For more about Daniel Yang click here.

In June 2019, EFCA pastors and church leaders gathered at The Compass Church in Naperville, Illinois, for our biennial EFCA One conference. We gathered under the theme, “Multiplying Disciplemakers.” On this episode of the podcast, we share Ed Stetzer’s concluding message from this conference focusing on Acts 2:42-47, “Evangelism and a Culture of Disciplemaking.” Ed serves as Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission and Evangelism at Wheaton College and executive director of the Billy Graham Center.

Ed Stetzer (PhD), Billy Graham Professor of Church, Mission, and Evangelism, Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center, and Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership, shows how certain Greek words cannot be translated completely into English. In particular, the Greek word translated “compassion” (Matt 9.36; cf. Phil 1.8) refers to a gut-wrenching, achy-heart kind of emotional state.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:35-38 Guest Speaker: Dr. Lon Allison is the former Director of the Billy Graham Center and current teaching Pastor at Wheaton Bible Church.

In part two of Sammy’s interview with Dr. Robert Coleman, they discuss his Christian classic book entitled The Master Plan of Evangelism. They delve into Jesus’ approach to evangelism and discipleship. Exciting principles and examples of how to implement this in any cultural context are explained as well. Dr. Coleman taught at Asbury Theological Seminary and then directed the School of World Mission and Evangelism at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for 18 years. Dr. Coleman also led the Institute of Evangelism in the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College.

At Connected Conference '18, Team Illinois was blessed to have Dr. Ed Stetzer speak to us about "The State of the Church". . . . See the video from this talk and more on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_-1ybhlZEB4 . . . Ed Stetzer has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches. He has trained pastors and church planters on five continents, holds two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books. Ed is a columnist for Outreach Magazine and Catalyst Monthly, serves on the advisory council of Sermon Central and Christianity Today’s Building Church Leaders, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. Ed is Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at fifteen other colleges and seminaries. He also serves on the Church Services Team of the International Mission Board. Now at Wheaton College, Ed holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism and serves as the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism and the Chair of the Evangelism and Leadership Program in the Graduate School.

At Connected Conference '18, Team Illinois was blessed to have Dr. Ed Stetzer speak to us about "The State of the Church". . . . See the video from this talk and more on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PigwVWN-mqs . . . Ed Stetzer has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches. He has trained pastors and church planters on five continents, holds two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books. Ed is a columnist for Outreach Magazine and Catalyst Monthly, serves on the advisory council of Sermon Central and Christianity Today’s Building Church Leaders, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. Ed is Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at fifteen other colleges and seminaries. He also serves on the Church Services Team of the International Mission Board. Now at Wheaton College, Ed holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism and serves as the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism and the Chair of the Evangelism and Leadership Program in the Graduate School.

America is angry. Turn on TV news, tune into talk radio, check your timeline on social media, and chances are good you’ll see someone angry—outraged!—about something. Some commentators even worry that our nation is on the verge of a civil war. It would be nice to say that Christians in America are tamping down the fires of outrage, but unfortunately, that’s not always true. Instead, some Christians are fanning the flames. They’re kicking outrage up to 11. One Christian leader who’s trying to turn the outrage down is Ed Stetzer. He thinks outrage is unbiblical and anti-Great Commission. In his new book, Christians in the Age of Outrage, he explains why Americans are mad, why that’s bad, and what Christians should do about it. Stetzer is Billy Graham Distinguished Professor of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College; dean of its School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership; and executive director of the Billy Graham Center. He talks about his new book with Influencemagazine executive editor George P. Wood in Episode 159 of the Influence Podcast.

Hear from Dr. Jerry Root, professor at Wheaton College, who serves as the Director of the Evangelism Initiative and is a faculty practitioner at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. In this conversation, Dr. Root shares insights from his many years of engaging Muslims with the Gospel and how we can manifest lifestyle evangelism in our daily lives.

Hear from Dr. Jerry Root, professor at Wheaton College, who serves as the Director of the Evangelism Initiative and is a faculty practitioner at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. In this conversation, Dr. Root shares insights from his many years of engaging Muslims with the Gospel and how we can manifest lifestyle evangelism in our daily lives.

Since the 2016 election the statistic that a record-breaking 81% of white evangelicals voted for Trump has been widely cited. But is it correct? Katelyn Beaty is back to unpack new research done by Lifeway and the Billy Graham Center on the issue, but does it really “debunk” the 81% stat? And why did so many white evangelicals pick Trump? Hint—it wasn’t because of abortion. Plus, Phil and Skye discuss why some Christian prayers are really incantations, and the risk of death by selfie.

Hear from Dr. Jerry Root, professor at Wheaton College, who serves as the Director of the Evangelism Initiative and is a faculty practitioner at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. In this conversation, Dr. Root shares insights from his many years of engaging Muslims with the Gospel and how we can manifest lifestyle evangelism in our daily lives.

Hear from Dr. Jerry Root, professor at Wheaton College, who serves as the Director of the Evangelism Initiative and is a faculty practitioner at the Billy Graham Center at William College. In this conversation, Dr. Root shares insights from his many years of engaging Muslims with the Gospel and how we can manifest lifestyle evangelism in our daily lives.

Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center, continues our Have A Heart Series with the message "Loving The Community."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Ed Stetzer, co-host of New Churches podcast. Ed holds the Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center. During their conversation, they discuss being a successful leader of a large team and aggressive time management. BEST QUOTES "The more I grow in the leadership roles that I'm doing, the more I need to learn from sources that think about leadership in our culture, and simultaneously the more I need to grow in my own spiritual formation." "The Bible is not a leadership handbook. There are leadership examples in the Bible. The Bible is the story of God's redemptive plan." "As I learn to be a better leader, I also need to learn to be a servant and one who loves Jesus more everyday and is growing in my knowledge of Him." "I've got to move from being an effective executive to now building an effective senior leadership team of effective executives." "If you are the leader, you can't offload the championing of new ideas that are being introduced into a system that has to be walked through." "Aggressive time management is hard because you have to shift some of the access that people have." "When you exercise aggressive time management so you can be a good steward all people see are that you are saying no to things they think are important." "Every leader of a large organization does a lot of things, but they have a team to help them do those things." "Part of leadership in the home is helping my teenagers navigate what is a very different cultural world than what I went through as a teenager. Social media has changed everything." "My hobbies are being with my kids, and most, of not all, of my time is investing with them." "Leadership is something you learn, not something you step into." "I underestimated what I could learn from other people. I underestimated how much I would need leadership. I really underestimated how much leadership would define ultimately my ministry." "Leadership is not the answer to everything, it's not a magic potion." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline 2018 conference New Churches podcast Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck The Master Plan of Discipleship by Robert Coleman Great at Work by Morten Hanson Brand vs. Wild by Jonathan David Lewis The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer Christians in the Age of Outrage by Ed Stetzer Christianity Today Strategic Leadership for Ministry & Mission

It’s been quite a week for Southern Baptists. Since this podcast was recorded, Baptist Press reported that a senior professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary had resigned over “personal and spiritual issues.” It’s been quite a week for Southern Baptists. Since this podcast was recorded, Baptist Press reported that a senior professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary had resigned over “personal and spiritual issues.” The same article also reported that an Alabama pastor had resigned as executive director of Connect316 and publisher of SBC Today over a Facebook post that seemed to make light of gang rape at the expense of a number of prominent Southern Baptist leaders. This news came just hours after Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler published a piece he headlined “The Wrath of God Poured Out: The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention.” And just hours before, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees removed Paige Patterson as president. That’s just from this week. We could go back further. So what’s going on? We asked longtime Southern Baptist leader Ed Stetzer, now executive director of Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center, to shed light on everything happening to America’s largest Protestant denomination. Stetzer joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss whether or not the denomination is truly in a #MeToo moment (like Mohler has claimed), why Southern Baptist leaders generally don’t publicly criticize each other, and what role the internet and social media have played in the events of the past month.

The guys are back with Ed Stetzer (Ed holds the distinguished Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center) to talk about Christians and cultural engagement. Why are so many in our culture so angry? How should we approach social media? What about Pastors and platforms? LGBT? How does good conversation matter to the work of cultural engagement? Plus, Ed tries to save Jimmy and Joe from their own words and regrets inviting them to Wheaton's campus. You can follow Ed on Twitter at @edstetzer.

The guys sit down with Dr. Ed Stetzer to talk about church health and revitalization. What are the basic symptoms of an unhealthy church, and what are the first steps in moving the church back toward biblical vitality? Ed has some great words for us all. And one of those words is "jackwagon." Be sure to follow Ed on Twitter at @edstetzer. Who is Ed Stetzer? Don't pretend you don't know. Everybody knows that Ed holds the distinguished Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books.

Dr. Jerry Root is Professor of Evangelism and the Director of Wheaton Evangelism Initiative at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL. He talks with Wayne Shepherd about evangelism as a natural part of the life of the Christian.

Dr. Jerry Root is Professor of Evangelism and the Director of Wheaton Evangelism Initiative at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL. He talks with Wayne Shepherd about evangelism as a natural part of the life of the Christian.

In this episode, we discuss research sponsored by The Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton and the Caskey Center for Church Excellence in New Orleans--are both attentive to things that can help the church, and particularly in this case, evangelism, with a desire to focus on smaller churches.

Dr. Jerry Root is Professor of Evangelism and the Director of Wheaton Evangelism Initiative at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL. He talks with Wayne Shepherd about evangelism as a natural part of the life of the Christian.

Dr. Jerry Root is Professor of Evangelism and the Director of Wheaton Evangelism Initiative at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL. He talks with Wayne Shepherd about evangelism as a natural part of the life of the Christian.

This episode features an interview with Chris Castaldo who serves as director of the Ministry of Gospel Renewal at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. He is the author of Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholicand a main contributor to Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism.Chris has earned degrees from Moody Bible Institute (BA, Bible and theology) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MDiv) and he is currently completing a PhD at the London School of Theology, which examines the doctrine of justification in the writing of Peter Martyr Vermigli and John Henry Newman. Chris lives outside of Chicago with his wife, Angela, and four children. He blogs at www.chriscastaldo.com.