Janet Kobobel Grant is the President and Founder of Books & Such Literary management. She is also an experienced writer and has experience within top publishing positions. Janet and I have had the privilege of working together on several publishing projects. She joins me on the podcast to talk about developing a great book proposal and why the hook is so important to publishers. She also shares details on a new writing initiative her agency is launching to help authors take the next step in ...
Jul 10, 2025•52 min•Ep. 236
From the Graveyard of the Pacific to the paradise of the Polynesian Islands… This is the true story of a journey with real people, real places, and the adventures that inevitably follow. Katherine and Andrés leave lucrative jobs and a stable life to accomplish his dream of sailing the world. She worries what awaits them beyond the horizon: Failure? Pirates? Poverty? Will they make it to the South Pacific, and will they survive the voyage? (Better yet, will their marriage?) The epic expedition pu...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 235
These days, brokenness feels more comfortable to discuss than holiness. It’s easier to say that we are messy than holy, that healing is a long way off. To say that we are holy seems like one step away from holier than thou, and no one ever wants to be that. Holiness Here offers practical and inspiring ways to transform your life by helping you see the holiness within your ordinary, everyday life. Holiness is a warm invitation to a new and better way to live a calling for our lives in Scripture a...
Feb 12, 2025•40 min•Ep. 234
From Life in the Negative World : Learning how to live in today's new social and cultural environment will require examination, trial and error, and adaptation over time. But there are ways to live with integrity and follow Christ today, even in a negative world. From a peak in church attendance in the mid-20th century, Christianity has been on a trajectory of decline in the United States. Once positive toward Christianity and Christian moral teachings, cultural shifts toward the mid-90s led man...
Jan 29, 2025•53 min•Ep. 233
As we close out the year and finish our Christmas shopping amidst a flurry of holiday parties, I took a moment to reflect on my reading over the past twelve months. Each year, I enjoy compiling a list of my reads, as it helps me appreciate the work and thoughts that have shaped my year. I reviewed the shelves in my office, scrolled through my Audible purchases, and checked my Amazon cart history. It’s fascinating how the books I’ve read encapsulate my growth and development over the year. This y...
Dec 18, 2024•22 min•Ep. 232
The Judeo-Christian faith has long been formed by books and reading. From synagogue scrolls to circulating letters, believers have been nurtured, disciplined, and matured through ongoing conversations in the form of written words. We are people of The Book, and alongside it is an ever-growing shelf of more books. I am a reader, in large part, because I am a believer. From the literature of the Second Temple period to the writings of Lewis, Chesterton, and Peterson, books have had an incalculable...
Dec 11, 2024•16 min•Ep. 231
Mike Blackaby is a pastor and church planter in Victoria, BC, Canada. He earned a PhD in worldview and apologetics from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and was formerly a pastor to young adults and current church planter. Daniel Blackaby earned a PhD in Christianity and the arts and a Masters in philosophy, apologetics, and worldview from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He runs The Collision, a multi-media ministry equipping Christians for cultural engagement. They join me t...
Oct 23, 2024•51 min•Ep. 230
Justin Gravitt is a disciple making leader and writer. Justin has served with The Navigators since 2000 and is the founder and executive director of the Dayton Disciple Makers Network, as well as the host of the popular Practitioners’ Podcast. He’s an avid Reds fan, loves the beach, and Dad-joking his kids. He lives in Dayton, Ohio, with his wife, Kristen, and their four children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Sep 26, 2024•49 min•Ep. 234
I'm excited for today to be the official release of A Sharp Compassion . It's now available wherever books are sold. In our episode today, I'm reading from the final pages of the book and suggesting a couple of ways you can help with sharing the book. A big thanks to everyone who has already pre-ordered it. It means so much to me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 10, 2024•10 min•Ep. 228
Over the last few weeks, I've be releasing the first three chapters of A Sharp Compassion in audio form on the podcast. I hope its been a chance for you to learn more about the book and to better understand the significance of offense in the Bible. You can learn more about the book at asharpcompassion.com . It would mean a lot to me if you would pick up a copy of the book. Buy a copy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Aug 27, 2024•45 min•Ep. 227
Over the next few weeks, I'll be releasing the first three chapters of A Sharp Compassion in audio form on the podcast. I hope its a chance for you to learn more about the book and to better understand the significance of offense in the Bible. You can learn more about the book at asharpcompassion.com . It would mean a lot to me if you would pick up a copy of the book. Buy a copy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Aug 20, 2024•42 min•Ep. 226
Over the next few weeks, I'll be releasing the first three chapters of A Sharp Compassion in audio form on the podcast. I hope its a chance for you to learn more about the book and to better understand the significance of offense in the Bible. You can learn more about the book at asharpcompassion.com . It would mean a lot to me if you would pick up a copy of the book. Buy a copy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Aug 13, 2024•38 min•Ep. 225
On September 10th, I’m releasing a new book entitled A Sharp Compassion: 7 Hard Words to Heal Our Insecurities and Free Us from Offense . I think it’s an important conversation for learning to recognize the insecurity within our culture and in our own lives. It would mean a lot to me if you would consider buying a copy and recommending it to friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Aug 06, 2024•20 min•Ep. 224
Author of more than 200 books with sales of over 70 million copies, including the best-selling Left Behind series, Jerry Jenkins is the former vice president for publishing and former chairman of the board of trustees for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Jerry's writing has appeared in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and dozens of Christian periodicals. Twenty-one of his books have reached The New York Times best-seller list (seven debuting number one). Jerry owns the Jerry Jenki...
Jul 31, 2024•50 min•Ep. 223
Jared Wilson is an award-winning author of over 20 books and a popular speaker at churches and conferences around the world. A 30-year ministry veteran, he is especially known for his passionate gospel-centered teaching. Jared serves as Pastor for Preaching and the Director of the Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri and as an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Author in Residence at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Ja...
Jun 14, 2024•59 min•Ep. 222
Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com. He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials. Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast, The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who m...
May 17, 2024•55 min•Ep. 221
Patrick Schreiner is an associate professor of New Testament and Biblical theology at Midwestern baptist Theological Seminary. He is also an elder at Emmaus Church in Kansas City, Missouri. He is the author numerous books, including Matthew, Discipels and Scribe; a commentary on Acts , The Ascension of Christ; and The Kigndom of God and the Glory of the Cross. Patrick joins me on today's episode to discuss his new book, The Transfiguration of Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Reading. We tak...
May 03, 2024•48 min•Ep. 220
Brian Croft is the former Senior Pastor of Au-burn-dale Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky and is the Founder of Practical Shepherding. He is also Senior Fellow for the Mathena Center for Church Revitalization and an Adjunct Professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ronnie Martin is founder and lead pastor of Substance Church (EFCA) in Ashland, Ohio. Before pastoral ministry, Ronnie was an internationally known recording artist, producing and releasing over 15 albums for the To...
Apr 18, 2024•51 min•Ep. 219
Ryan Rush, serves as pastor of Kingsland Baptist Church, in Katy, Texas. He has spent more than 20 years working in ministry, and during that time, he has been on a mission to connect church and home life, becoming a national voice for the “Faith at Home” movement. In over a decade serving as Adjunct Professor at Liberty University, he has taught more than 1,500 students the course he helped to design, “Theology of the Family.” Ryan currently teaches Doctoral students in the Marriage and Family ...
Apr 05, 2024•39 min•Ep. 218
David Kaywood is a senior pastor at Eastside Community Church in Jacksonville, Florida. He is the author of A Call to Contentment: Pursuing Godly Satisfaction in a Restless World . He is the founder of gospelrelevance.com and a contributor to The Gospel Coalition. He lives in Jacksonville Beach, Florida with his wife and two children. In our conversation, we explore the Christian call to contentment in a restless world. How can Christians experience contentment, and how can we, as Christian writ...
Mar 30, 2024•45 min•Ep. 217
I'm joined on today's podcast by Editor Todd Hains and Illustrator Natasha Kennedy. Together, they have been working on Lexham's new series of children's books, known as the FatCat series. We discuss the current state of Christian children's literature, Catechism, and Classical Education, and how we can be intentional about teaching our children the language and the theology of our faith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Mar 11, 2024•48 min•Ep. 216
Drew Dyck is the author of multiple books, including Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets To Self Control From The Bible And Brain Science (2019), and the book he joins me to talk about today, Just Show Up: How Small Acts of Faithfulness Change Everything (2023). Drew is an editor at Moody Publishers and the former managing editor of Leadership Journal. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, The Gospel Coalition, and CNN.com. Drew gre...
Jan 25, 2024•36 min•Ep. 215
Mark Fugitt has been a pastor for eighteen years and an adjunct professor for a decade. He has a bachelor’s in history; master’s degrees in history, theological studies, and theology; and his PhD in biblical studies and historical theology. He lives with his wife Laura and four children on a farm in the hills of Missouri. He joins me to talk about his new book: Lost Shepherd: What Believers Once Knew About Paslm 23 That the Modern World has Forgotten Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
Jan 19, 2024•46 min•Ep. 214
Since the beginning of the Pastor Writer podcast, I've dedicated the last episode of each year to a reflection on some of my favorite books. I think it's a great practice for anyone. I looked back through my Amazon orders, my bookshelves, my Kindle and Audible apps, and noted books that stood out. For me, books are never just read, they represent the things I've been thinking about, working on, and areas I'm trying to grow. This year, the books really reflect my ongoing writing project, but hope...
Dec 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 213
Cary Schmidt serves as the Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newington, Connecticut. He and his wife, Dana, have been blessed with three children and have enjoyed thirty four years of marriage and ministry together. Cary's passion is to love God, love his family, and point people to Jesus Christ through teaching, preaching, and writing. He hosts the "Leading in the Gospel" podcast to encourage Gospel-shaped leadership, and "Growing in the gospel"—a daily devotional on Youtube. He has w...
Nov 27, 2023•48 min•Ep. 212
Randall Wallace is the Oscar®-nominated creative force behind the epic storytelling of such critical and box-office hits as BRAVEHEART, WE WERE SOLDIERS, PEARL HARBOR, SECRETARIAT, and HEAVEN IS FOR REAL. Along with his work in film, Randall is the author of nine books, including five original novels, three novel versions of the screenplays of his films, and his first work of non-fiction, LIVING THE BRAVEHEART LIFE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 13, 2023•56 min•Ep. 211
Harold Senkbeil is executive director emeritus of Doxology: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care. His pastoral experience of nearly five decades includes parish ministry, the seminary classroom, and parachurch leadership. He is author of numerous books, including the award-winning The Care of Souls, Christ and Calamity , and Dying to Live . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 03, 2023•40 min•Ep. 210
Alex McFarland is a speaker, author, and advocate for Christian apologetics. He is the founder and president of the national apologetic conference, Truth for a New Generation. Alex is the author of over twenty books on apologetics and the Christian faith. For more than a decade, Alex and Bert Harper have cohosted Exploring the Word, a nationally syndicated, live Bible-teaching program heard daily on American Family Radio. He is a graduate of Liberty University and lives near Greensboro North Car...
Oct 23, 2023•57 min•Ep. 208
We’re excited your family is joining us in talking about the Bible. We’re Chase, Ashley, Will, and Charlotte. We enjoy talking about the Bible and the world in which the Bible stories actually happened. We hope our conversations can help inspire conversations in your family. We wanted to create a podcast that the whole family could enjoy and learn from. Too often, kid's content is dumbed down. We think kids are capable of far more than sometimes our Bible conversations reflect. So we’ve aimed hi...
Sep 29, 2023•35 min•Ep. 208
The EVERY MOMENT HOLY series of books by Douglas McKelvey and published by Rabbit Room Press brings new prayers and liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life. These prayers are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose even when, especially when, we are too busy or too caught up in our busyness to notice. The prayers are accented with linocut illustrations by Ned Bustard. Collectively, Every Moment Holy has sold over 300,000 books across two volumes and five ...
Sep 15, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 207
