Send us a text What if the way Jesus saw the world could transform how you live your everyday life? In this illuminating conversation, we unpack the concept of mental models—those invisible frameworks that shape everything from how we parent and lead to how we interpret Scripture and engage in mission. Think of mental models like prescription glasses. While rarely noticed, they constantly filter how we see reality. Where do these frameworks come from? Our first formation in family, personal expe...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Send us a text What does it truly mean to love your enemies in the way of Jesus? This question isn't just theological theory—it's a practical challenge we face whenever someone wrongs or mistreats us. In this powerful conclusion to our forgiveness series, we explore what might be Jesus's most radical teaching: not just breaking free from cycles of enemy-making, but actively loving those who harm us. Most people naturally default to either fight (retaliation) or flight (passive submission) when w...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Send us a text The journey from forgiveness to reconciliation is one of the most challenging paths in Christian discipleship. While many believers embrace God's forgiveness and understand the importance of forgiving others, the question of what comes next often leaves us confused, frustrated, or even stuck. In this episode, we unpack a powerful distinction that clarifies the forgiveness process: "Forgiveness is a solo, reconciliation is a duet." Through the inspiring story of Elizabeth Elliott, ...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text What does it actually look like to forgive someone who's hurt you deeply? After acknowledging the pain and choosing to move toward forgiveness, how do you actually release the debt and free yourself from resentment? In this episode, we dive into the mechanics of forgiveness – the practical steps of extending forgiveness to others even when our emotions haven't caught up with our decision. We unpack the difference between verbally declaring forgiveness and truly embodying it throug...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Send us a text We explore how naming and lamenting the impact of wrongful actions in Jesus's presence serves as the first step toward engaging in cruciform forgiveness. Developing this essential spiritual practice helps us move from bitterness to freedom. • Why facing reality is essential for true forgiveness • The cycle of enemy-making that traps us in unforgiveness • How acknowledging pain allows healing rather than keeping us stuck • Biblical examples of lament from David to Jesus himself • T...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Send us a text What does it truly mean to forgive like Jesus? This transformative episode dives deep into the heart of Christian forgiveness by examining both Jesus' teachings and his lived example. Through powerful stories like Corrie Ten Boom confronting her Nazi prison guard and Jesus forgiving from the cross, we discover how forgiveness breaks the destructive cycle of enemy-making that traps so many of us. When someone wrongs us, we often respond by ruminating on the hurt, hardening our hear...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text Forgiveness is a journey that challenges us to confront our own hearts while navigating the complexities of relationships. Understanding the cycle of enemy-making reveals how ruminating on wrongs can harden our hearts and distort our perceptions of others. By intentionally practicing forgiveness, we reclaim our agency and foster deeper connections rooted in love and mercy. In this episode we will: Explore the definition and significance of forgiveness Understand the cycle of enemy...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text Ever struggled to forgive someone, even when you know it's the right thing to do? That's a journey we're all familiar with, and in this episode, we seek to unravel the complexities of forgiveness and share insights that could transform your perspective. Throughout our conversation, we tackle the misconceptions surrounding forgiveness. We delve into the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, exploring why letting go of bitterness is a personal decision, while rebuilding...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text Our episode dives into the phenomenon of de-churching, a significant shift affecting millions in America. We explore why individuals leave the church, how to engage them compassionately, and the importance of being a person of peace in their lives. Exploring the statistics of de-churching in America Discussing motivations behind leaving the church Highlighting the need for compassionate engagemen Identifying ways not to engage: guilt, shame, and fear Emphasizing the importance of ...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Send us a text Licensed therapist Terri Koschnick joins us for a heartfelt discussion on navigating grief during the holiday season. With over 30 years of experience, Terri offers her invaluable insights into managing the complex emotions that arise during this time. We begin on a lighthearted note, followed by an episode filled with empathy, practical advice, and the reminder that grief, though intensified during the holidays, is a natural response to loss. As we explore the unpredictability of...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Send us a text What if the quiet exodus from American churches is reshaping the very fabric of our communities? Join us on Praxis as we explore the Great Dechurching, where over 40 million adults have stepped away from church attendance in the last quarter-century. This significant shift raises questions about what individuals miss by leaving church life and how it impacts their spiritual and communal experiences. Church communities offer unique spiritual and communal fulfillment, inspired by th...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Send us a text What happens when 40 million adults in America decide to step away from church attendance? This episode of the Praxis podcast takes you on an enlightening journey through the cultural phenomenon known as the great de-churching. We navigate the complexities behind this mass exodus, examining how it reshapes our communities and challenges those still committed to church life. Join us as we celebrate our two-year anniversary with lighter moments—a humorous nod to "fat bear week" and ...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Send us a text Ever wondered why modern churches often struggle with embodying the humility and self-sacrificial love that Jesus exemplified? Join Katie, Mac, and Josiah as we navigate the journey of molding our communities into reflections of Christ, questioning how Enlightenment ideals and individualism have reshaped our understanding of selfless love and humility. As we continue our conversation, we grapple with the tension between contemporary church leadership models and the countercultural...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text What happens when you prioritize service, humility, and genuine love in your church community? Join us in this episode as we explore the transformative power of cultivating a Tove church culture, following Jesus' example from Mark 10. We'll illustrate how embodying goodness, kindness, and love can close the gap between the current state of your church and a healthier, more vibrant community. We delve into the historical shifts in pastoral credibility, emphasizing the importance of...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Send us a text What does it mean to truly embody justice in our daily lives and church communities? Inspired by the wisdom of Micah 6:8, we embark on an exploration of how justice can transform church culture into a space radiating goodness, kindness, and love. We begin with some personal updates, sharing the joy of summer's end and the excitement of new school routines, and we celebrate a significant milestone in Josiah's life—his recent marriage! Anchored in the insightful book, " Church Calle...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Send us a text Human trafficking is a hidden crisis in our communities, but knowledge and awareness can empower us to fight back. On this special episode of Praxis, we have Brianna Saxer from Zeteo Community joining us to shed light on this urgent issue, particularly in Wisconsin. You'll hear Brianna's compelling story of how she transitioned from massage therapy to becoming a dedicated advocate for survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Learn about the realities that go beyond ...
Aug 05, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Send us a text On this episode of Praxis, we explore the transformative power of truth-telling within church communities. We unravel the concept of "trafficking in the truth" and discuss the critical importance of transparent leadership. Drawing insights from " A Church Called Tov ", we underline the dangers of hiding moral failures and how openness can lead to authentic growth and a healthy church culture. Join us as we bridge the gap between toxic and nurturing church environments, and discove...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Send us a text Having done the difficult work of taking an honest look at what’s not going well in the church, we have now begun describing the key nutrients that we need to put into the soil in order to bear kingdom fruit. If toxins corrupt the soil and prevent fruit, what nutrients can we put into the soil to help grow fruit? Today we want to discuss the importance of putting people first. We want to submit that healthy churches put people first and create a people-focused culture that maintai...
Jun 24, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Send us a text Having done the difficult work of taking an honest look at what’s not going well in the church and some of the things that are blocking kingdom from fruit from growing, we have now begun describing the key nutrients that we need to put into the soil in order to bear kingdom fruit. If toxins corrupt the soil and prevent fruit, what nutrients can we put into the soil to help grow fruit? So we are building off the list that Scot & Laura provide in their book entitled Church Calle...
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Send us a text After several episodes of naming some of the major toxins in the American church soil, we have turned the corner, and we are now discussing some of the healthy nutrients we can put into the soil to help create a healthy church culture. Join us as we define what empathy within the church can look like, observe how Jesus embodied empathy, and discuss practical ways that we can begin to engrain empathy into our church culture....
May 13, 2024•53 min
Send us a text We are in a series right now focused on cultivating a healthy church culture. Every church has a culture, whether they realize it or not. And while some churches have a healthy church culture, many do not! So over the last few episodes we’ve discussed two toxins in the soil of the American church that are inhibiting kingdom fruit. We talked about "celebrity-ism", or having a personality-driven church, we talked about "growth-ism" or the belief that growth is the mark of success, a...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Send us a text We are in a series right now focused on cultivating a healthy church culture. Every church has a culture, whether they realize it or not. And while some churches have a healthy church culture, many do not! So over the last few episodes we’ve discussed two toxins in the soil of the American church that are inhibiting kingdom fruit. We talked about "celebrity-ism", or having a personality-driven church, and we talked about "growth-ism" or the belief that growth is the mark of succes...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text We are in a series right now focused on cultivating a healthy church culture. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to the previous two episodes, we encourage you to go back and take a listen because we covered a lot of ground. Every church has a culture, whether they realize it or not. And while some churches have a healthy(ish) church culture, we are seeing signs of widespread dysfunction in churches — revealing that many do not. We’ve been using this metaphor of a fruit tree to ...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Send us a text Every church has a culture whether they realize it or not. Some cultures are reasonably healthy; others are not. And while no church is perfect, part of the work every church needs to engage in is intentionally working to close whatever gap exists between being healthy and where they currently are. So in this series, we are seeking to help close the gap. And this involves not only talking about the marks of an unhealthy church culture but casting vision for how we as the church ca...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Send us a text Today we are starting a new series on creating a healthy church culture. Culture is the way that people consciously or unconsciously do life together. And every church has a culture whether they realize it or not. Some of these cultures are healthy and some are not. In recent years we’ve become somewhat accustomed to news headlines of celebrity pastors being exposed for moral failure or abusive leadership, leaving behind a wake of hurt and pain for everyone involved. And that’s no...
Jan 11, 2024•56 min
Send us a text How often do you contemplate the essential role that boundaries play in your life? In a chat teeming with wisdom and practical advice, we, your hosts Katie and Mac, team up with our delightful guest, the ever-insightful therapist and long-standing church community member, Terri Koschnick. Together, we navigate the dynamic world of boundaries, discussing their significance, the physiological and chemical responses they elicit, and their profound impacts on our overall well-being. W...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text Do boundaries really impose control or are they statements of self-definition and values? This episode of Praxis aims to demystify this, taking you on a journey through the importance of emotional maturity in discipleship and the key role it plays in setting boundaries. We dive into the concept of boundaries, portraying them as property fences that provide clarity and foster growth. We illuminate different types of boundaries, from personal to time management in relationships, and...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Send us a text What if you could navigate life and relationships with ease, exhibiting a high emotional quotient akin to that of Jesus? Imagine the impact of bringing such emotional maturity into your daily interactions, your parenting style, your friendships, and every other aspect of life. Join us as we embark on an in-depth exploration of this significant element of discipleship while shedding light on the disruptive role anxiety plays. We've all been there - caught in the relentless cycle of...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text Ever wondered why a simple conversation can suddenly turn into a web of tension and misunderstanding? Through our journey into emotional maturity and anxiety, we'll shed light on the concept of relational triangles, and how they impact our emotional well-being and relationships. From pop culture to everyday examples, we'll unravel these triangles, and how they can serve as a source of tension or an opportunity for positive interaction. Discover how you can turn negative triangles ...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text Ever felt that familiar knot in your stomach that signal anxiety creeping in? Have you noticed how you respond when the tension rises - Do you confront, hide, or put on a pleasing demeanor? We're unwrapping these gut reactions to anxiety in our vibrant discussion today, exploring the fight, flight, and fake responses, and how they shape our relationships and emotional growth. And, while we're at it, we do get a little side-tracked with our love for apple cider donuts and fall seas...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 8 min
