An Almost Perfect Podcast

Does faith have to feel extraordinary to be real? John and Tom reflect on John Wesley’s “heart strangely warmed” experience, share their own stories, and ask what happens when we start chasing a spiritual feeling. A conversation about grace, assurance, and trusting that God is enough—even on an ordinary Sunday.

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What happens when keeping a church building open becomes harder than carrying out the ministry it was built to support?

This week, Tom and John discuss a CNN article about church closures and ask what lies beneath the headlines. Buildings hold memories of weddings, baptisms, friendships, and encounters with God. They also house food pantries, community gatherings, and places of welcome. Losing them matters.

But so does asking what we’re trying to preserve, and why.

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What are we really saying when we tell someone to “let go and let God”? John and Tom talk about control, worry, Jesus’ invitation to lose our lives, and why learning to pay attention may change what we see.

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In this episode, John and Tom have an honest, and occasionally uncomfortable, conversation about money, generosity, tithing, and the language churches use when they talk about giving. Why does money make congregations nervous? Is generosity possible when finances are tight? Should every tithe go to the local church? And has the church done enough to earn people’s financial trust?
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We say young people are important to the church. But do we trust them? Do we listen to them? And are we willing to let their voices change something?

Bonnie Bevers joins John for a conversation about listening to young people, creating ministry with them rather than only for them, and giving them a real voice in the life of the church. They discuss safe spaces, honest questions, intergenerational relationships, adult control, and the dreams young people carry that the church may not yet have language to understand.

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Young people are becoming less happy—and the trend isn't limited to the United States. Research suggests that community, relationships, spiritual practice, meaning, and purpose can all contribute to human flourishing. That sounds like good news for the church. But there's a catch: people aren't necessarily coming through our doors looking for it.

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John and Tom talk about the spiritual practices that have shaped their lives—from prayer, Scripture, journaling, worship, silence, and community to the routines that don't always feel particularly spiritual in the moment.

Sometimes, spiritual disciplines are inspiring. Sometimes they're a grind. Plus: CDs are apparently cool again, the perfect hang is exactly ?? minutes, and John may or may not have a 1,200-CD problem.

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What does it mean when we say, “The church was there for me”?

Too often, we mean the pastor called, the pastor visited, or the pastor prayed. But what about the church member who brings a meal? The person who mows your lawn? The people who make a prayer shawl, pick up your groceries, help you move, sit beside you, or simply pray with the words they have?

John, Tom, and returning guest Lizzie talk about the difference between pastoral care and congregational care, and whether churches have made pastors so central to ministry that we've forgotten the gifts God has given everyone else.

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What if some of the things pastors do to help their churches are actually hurting them?This week, John, Tom Lizzie, and Todd talk about pastors doing too much, trying to be the expert, hiding behind a “pastor” persona, playing it safe in the pulpit, and unintentionally teaching congregations to depend on them. It's a candid conversation about what pastors get wrong and what healthier ministry could look like.

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Does God have a specific plan for every detail of your life? The person you marry, the job you take, the house you buy, and every decision along the way?

And if so…what happens when you make the wrong choice?

Tom and John wrestle with what we really mean when we talk about “God’s plan.”

Plus, we celebrate 175 episodes of whatever it is we've been doing here.

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