Aubrey Sampson is a church planter and serves as a teaching pastor at Renewal Church, a multiethnic congregation in Chicagoland. Aubrey has a MA, evangelism and leadership and speaks regularly at churches and conferences around the country. She is an award-nominated author, a coach with Propel Women Cohorts, and the cohost of The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast. Aubrey is the author of several books, most recently Big Feelings Days: A Book about Hard Things, Heavy Emotions, and Jesus’ Love (October 20...
Jul 12, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Brian is a minister of reconciliation with twenty-five years of exemplary results in organizational development, change management, and leadership development in churches and nonprofits in the United States and abroad. He specializes in developing culturally intelligent strategies for growth and impact. Christian ministry began for him as a church planter. Along the way, he earned a master’s in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Easter...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Jackson TerKeurst is an entrepreneur and leader who continues to defy the odds as a first-generation immigrant from West Africa who owns and runs a small business. The adopted son of bestselling author and speaker Lysa TerKeurst, Jackson is passionate about drawing together people from diverse backgrounds to experience authentic community. He lives with his wife and their two children outside Nashville, Tennessee. In this episode he joins us to discuss his book The Only Way Forward Is Back: A St...
Jun 27, 2025•57 min
In a world where mental health issues and loneliness are at an all-time high, it's more important than ever to find ways to cultivate joy, community, and meaning in our lives. Many of us feel trapped within ourselves, struggling to find a way out of our own negative thoughts and emotions. Author and psychologist Richard Beck (Hunting Magic Eels) argues that we are struggling because our shape is currently "curved inward." We are self-focused, self- absorbed, ruminative. We're trapped inside ours...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr 3 min
One of the number one issues facing most churches is the inability to resolve conflict. I have invited an expert who works to help people of faith towards growth in the art of reconciliation. Richard Parrish is the Director of Richard Parrish Ministries, an outreach of Music Serving the Word (MSW). Richard attends to the soul care of pastors, leaders, and learners. Richard is an ordained minister and speaks in many cross-denominational settings. A seasoned, empowering, and compassionate leader, ...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 11 min
When you are crushed and brokenhearted, where do you go to find hope? Jesus said that in this life we will have pain, heartbreak, and trials. So how do we deal with our pain? What does it look like to walk with God in our grief? In Hope for My Hurting Heart, bestselling author Linda Dillow offers practical wisdom, real-life stories, biblical teachings, and encouragement to help you navigate pain and loss and find hope and healing through God’s love. This insightful guide includes • eight essenti...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 1 min
What if the opportunity to connect with God was as close as your next breath? Many of us yearn for a deeper connection with God but struggle to find the time or space to cultivate it in the midst of our busy lives. The daily stress of meeting familial, work, and personal responsibilities leaves us longing to connect with God and find rest for our souls. We crave intimacy with our Creator and the peace that only God’s presence can give. With God in Every Breath invites you on a journey towards a ...
May 02, 2025•58 min
When Karen Sjoblom relocated to her Midwest birthplace after her daughter left for college, she anticipated exciting possibilities. Instead, she found herself on an unexpected pilgrimage through past trauma, family fractures, and rigid generational expectations. That’s when she discovered she’d have to cross through a wilderness of pain if she wanted to reach her own promised land. Mirroring the biblical Exodus in which the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt—a place familiar but enslaving—Sj...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Let the Awkward Conversations Begin! Adaeze and Chad―two different people, two different backgrounds―both brought a lot of baggage into their relationship. Adaeze, a black Nigerian American woman who has lived with racism and discrimination her entire life. Chad, a white man with a family from the South who mostly grew up in white spaces. Determined to learn to communicate honestly and effectively, they stepped into tough conversations about their differences. Walls came down and Adaeze and Chad...
Apr 18, 2025•34 min
Let the Awkward Conversations Begin! Adaeze and Chad―two different people, two different backgrounds―both brought a lot of baggage into their relationship. Adaeze, a black Nigerian American woman who has lived with racism and discrimination her entire life. Chad, a white man with a family from the South who mostly grew up in white spaces. Determined to learn to communicate honestly and effectively, they stepped into tough conversations about their differences. Walls came down and Adaeze and Chad...
Apr 11, 2025•48 min
If you’re a survivor of sexual harm, recovering your sexuality is possible. You are worthy of good care. The toxic effects of sexual trauma and abuse can be devastating and lasting. Victims’ ability to experience healthy sexuality, even if they free themselves from the abuse, is often shattered. If sexual abuse, violence, or coercive control is part of your story, certified sex addiction therapist (CSAT) and trauma specialist Tabitha Westbrook wants you to know: you are not alone, and healing is...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 7 min
It's time for church leaders and believers to stop offering prettily packaged responses from a safe distance. It's time for us to sit in the ashes with the hurting, our Sunday clothes covered in dirt and grime, our faces lined with tears. Trauma brings people to the ash heap, so that is where the church needs to go. The church should serve as a refuge for people in pain. And yet, we often end up unintentionally causing more hurt to trauma survivors. Theological platitudes and positive thinking a...
Mar 28, 2025•54 min
Migrant God takes readers to the front lines of immigrant justice activism where Christians are putting hope into action. From Tijuana, Mexico, to Douglas, Arizona, across North Carolina and beyond, Isaac Villegas cuts a new path through worn-out talking points and bears witness to loving solidarity among Christians—both with and without US citizenship. Along the way, he offers a theologically astute and politically rich vision of beloved community. Centering the stories of people who have been ...
Mar 18, 2025•53 min
In a world that prizes hustle and constant productivity, breaking the habit of hurry can seem far-fetched, and yet we still try to achieve it with life hacks to get more sleep and increase energy. But self-help strategies are not the solution to our exhaustion problem. Today I’ve invited Eryn Lynum on for a discussion regarding her new book The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach us Sabbath Living. Eryn Lynum is author of the book 936 Pennies, and has been featured on FamilyLife To...
Mar 07, 2025•58 min
Donna Pisani, a pastor and Bible teacher with forty years of ministry experience, has a game-changing message for women leaders: the One who loves you most is cheering you on, has given you a voice, and already has a seat at the table waiting for you. A practical tool for women who are called to leadership roles in any area of life, Entrusted to Lead offers biblical insight and real-life encouragement for how to navigate their leadership journey. In Entrusted to Lead , Pastor Donna Pisani draws ...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Like many people today, Jeff Mikels is concerned by the evangelical church’s embrace of cultural and political idols. Unlike many people, however, Mikels is a former evangelical pastor who regrets his complicity in this trend. Evangelical Idolatry: How Pastors Like Me Have Failed the People of God is both a confession and a call to repentance. Reflecting on his twenty-year pastoral ministry with candor and humility, Mikels acknowledges the ways he enabled parishioners to develop destructive loya...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 16 min
What does Bible study look like after inerrancy? Do you have to give up studying Scripture when you no longer believe in its literal interpretation? Can you still believe this book is sacred even while renegotiating your relationship to the church? In Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible, Liz Charlotte Grant offers compelling answers to these questions and more in this deeply personal commentary on the book of Genesis. Braiding together encounters with the nat...
Feb 07, 2025•54 min
What is Toxic Shame? How does it affect those trying to live for Christ? What does the Bible say about shame? In this Patreon Spotlight Dr. Conny Nussbaum joins the discussion to share insight regarding what the Bible says about shame. Conny previously presented her research during a Patreon-exclusive meeting and I wanted to make sure it saw the light of day! Her research is clear, meaningful, and practical. About Connie: Studied PhD in Immunology (Psychoneuroimmunology) at Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Un...
Apr 11, 2024•57 min
What are my spiritual gifts and how do I unlock them? What does the Bible say about the various spiritual gifts? How do I partner with the Holy Spirit? How do I bless the church with my gifts? How does trauma interfere with my understanding or use of my gift? In this conversation we bring our series to a close as Tim Sherrill joins to discuss how to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many people do not know what their gifts are or how to use them. One thing is certain, we are made to function usi...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 10 min
In this episode we explore how the Old Testament portrays the Holy Spirit's presence. It seems confusing to reconcile how the OT describes the Spirit's activity as opposed to what we see in the NT. Dr. Monje joins to discuss the fundamental questions Christians have when reading the Holy Spirit of the OT. Q.What was the Jewish understanding of the Spirit? Definition of ruach? Uses of ruach? Q. Is the “Spirit" in the OT also “holy”? Q.How is the Holy Spirit present in creation? Q.What does it mea...
Feb 22, 2024•59 min
How do we know if we are hearing God's voice or our own? How do we know if we are in step with the Spirit? Is it possible to lose the Spirit? How does the Spirit direct our thoughts or emotions? In this conversation we explore the various ways the Holy Spirit speaks to us. How does the Holy Spirit speak to our conscience? How does the Holy Spirit sanctify us? How does the Holy Spirit convict us? How can we grieve the Spirit? How can we quench the Spirit? What does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 17 min
In this episode we begin a 4-part series on the Holy Spirit. Dr. Andy Boakye joins the discussion to help clarify the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a New Covenant Christian. Andy masterfully explains the original greek context and gives us an understanding of why Paul taught a specific theology regarding the Holy Spirit. This is just the beginning of this conversation! The Holy Spirit as a seal? The Holy Spirit as a deposit, guarantee? How does the Holy Spirit intercede for us? How does...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min
How do we know if a situation should be considered spiritual abuse? What are the various types of abuse that can occur? Are we using the most effective terms when we talk about trauma in a faith context? In this episode we will be discussing the specifics of spiritual trauma starting with the basics. Dr. St. Jean is a professor of Social Work at King University who has served in churches for decades. He joins the conversation to share the latest from his book 'Spiritual Trauma: A Guide for Heali...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min
How do we support our children's decisions when we do not agree with them? How do we exude unconditional love for our children without compromising what we personally feel called to? How do hold a "both-and" with some of the more complex issues? Karen Louis of Good Enough Parenting joins the conversation to discuss the concept of Autonomy Granting vs Autonomy Support. This concept helps parents navigate the choppy waters of healthy autonomy. For more information on Good Enough Parenting please v...
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 7 min
If you are interested in becoming a Patreon Member visit www.patreon.com/kylespears Sam Youngblood is one of my Patreon Community members who helps to research various topics on the Biblical Literacy Team. This is also part of a new interview series where I interview various members who are in the Patreon Community. Churches are faced with a constant need to understand the cultural demands around them. Sometimes churches can borrow from the culture in ways that create an unhealthy environment. O...
Nov 16, 2023•52 min
Lisa Euthon was baptized while a college student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and has spent the last 30 years serving in different ministries in Missouri, Texas, and Kansas. She, and her husband Tyler, are the proud parents of two boys. Lisa has worked within the medical and education settings walking alongside individuals of all ages and backgrounds as they have navigated diagnoses that have included dementia, traumatic brain injury, cancer, and learning disabled. Equipped with a dua...
Nov 03, 2023•47 min
Life happens! Many of us find ourselves at a point we never thought we'd be. Not only has life thrown us curve balls, we have to somehow keep going. However, if we are not careful we can stuff our feelings along the way and think we are being strong. Resilience is more than gritting our way through life, it is about our willing to be vulnerable about what's challenging. Patty joins the channel to discuss her journey to spiritual resilience. Access Patty's Substack! https://pattyasaad.substack.co...
Oct 19, 2023•57 min
Brian is best known for some of the songs he's written that are sung by those in International Churches of Christ around the world -- songs like "Be with Me, Lord," "I Need Your Love," "Great Among the Nations," and “Anchor for the Soul.” Having written songs in the alternate rock genre for a long time he set out to write some really simple, easy-to-sing songs that could replace some of the ones he'd gotten tired of singing in church. Over time those songs caught on and are now favorites. Of cou...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Becky Aste is a trauma-informed marriage coach and the host of “Your Breakthrough Blueprint”, a top 10% globally ranked podcast. She is the CEO and creator of “I Do Breakthrough”, a company dedicated to equipping highly ambitious wives to repair thriving connection in their marriage by moving trauma out of the body. After spending a decade researching and going through every mainstream modality of healing to save her own marriage, she found herself 2 kids later, separated from her husband and on...
Sep 29, 2023•54 min
In her latest book, Free and Fully Alive: Reclaiming the Story of Who You Were Created to Be , popular faith-leader, speaker, and certified life coach Karrie Garcia shares something most Christians can identify: “I was taught that God wants us to live freely, but I never understood what that kind of freedom meant or felt like. It seemed like a good idea in theory, but elusive—I had no idea how to grab hold of it.” In Free and Fully Alive, Karrie draws on her own experiences and expertise to crea...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr
