Before You Quit

Often in summer I put out fewer podcasts, but I have also had a number of personal challenges that have led me to focus more on family than my other responsibilities. It’s actually fitting I am doing this podcast on the subject of Scripture and prayer as this has been a sustaining discipline for me this past several months. In fact a tool that I have used directly connects me to this podcast and the person I will be interacting with. Years ago I started using Dr. Kenneth Boa’s books that focus on the use of scriptures for prayer and again I picked up some of those books and I like I said, they gave me courage, perspective and hope during another hard season of my life. How excited I was then, when through a mutual friend, I was able to connect with Dr. Boa and arrange this interview. Here’s a brief bio about him: Dr. Boa is the President of Reflections Ministries, an organization that seeks to encourage, teach, and equip people to know Christ, follow Him, become progressively conformed to His image, and reproduce His life in others.  He is also President of Trinity House Publishers, a publishing company that is dedicated to the creation of tools that will help people manifest eternal values in a temporal arena by drawing them to intimacy with God and a better understanding of the culture in which they live.

Order the HANDBOOK TO PRAYER by clicking on book cover below.

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One of my hero’s of the faith, and go to guy, is Charles Spurgeon, the famous pastor from London in the mid 1800’s. I even have a first edition of his devotional book, Morning By Morning. We have so much to learn from past spiritual leaders. I am not sure we really appreciate how their legacy on the church today. So, with in mind this podcast is going to be different. We are going to talk about another great past leader who perhaps has had more impact on the church today than anyone else in history, other than our Lord and Savior Jesus. His name is Jonathan Edwards, the famous pastor and theologian from the early 1700’s. Yes, that Jonathan Edwards who preached that famous sermon, Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God.  I think it’s important for us to understand the impact men like Edwards had on our a nation, and also the kind of pastor he was, and the lessons we can learn from him. I have the honor to interview a young man and pastor who has done extensive research on Jonathan Edwards, the Pastor. His name is Daniel Stegeman.

Daniel Stegeman, DMin, is pastor of Pine Glen Alliance Church in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Daniel and his wife Stephane are the proud parents of four children and you can find his blog at www.pastoral-theology.com.

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I have the privilege today to interview Sam Thompson, a pastor who happens to also be blind. Before I go to that interview I want to draw your attention to something Sam and I talk about in the closing of our interview. I thought it would be wise to emphasis it again here in the beginning. Many of us in the church are not aware of our unconscious mannerisms toward people who are blind or who have any kind of disability for that matter. You will notice that when you meet someone in a wheel chair, for example. It is common for us to talk more to the person pushing the wheel chair than the person in the wheel chair. We have that same tendency when speaking to someone who suffers with blindness. We might speak to loudly to them, even though their hearing is just fine, or again we might speak more to the person who is walking with them. I mention these so we can be better as a church community in loving and involving those who could find themselves most lonely because they carry some disability. I loved my conversation with Sam and learned so much from him. 

Rev. Sam Thompson was born into a large family in Indiana. Born blind, he attended the Indiana School for the Blind, graduating from West Nassau High School, Callahan, Florida after his family moved in 1972. After giving his life to Christ in 1974, he began attending Toccoa Falls College, Toccoa, GA in 1977. Sam met his wife and ministry partner, Ann, at TFC, and they graduated together in 1981. He later received a Master of Arts in General Theological Studies from Columbia Biblical Seminary. While at TFC, Sam, Ann and a handful of other students, founded a ministry to people with disabilities. Sam served as Executive Director for 40 years before retiring in 2019. Sam also served as a pastor and associate pastor after receiving his ordination from The Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1983. He has a shepherd’s heart and a true passion for people with disabilities.  

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 It’s not often I have had the opportunity to talk so openly with someone suffering a terminal illness. I think we would all agree that the church and even our culture is ill prepared to have hard and honest conversations about death and dying. In this podcast my goal is to help the church, help you, the believer who loves Jesus and loves the church, to grow in your ministry capacity to help those grieving loss, and even help you if you are facing terminal illness. I am so thankful to pastor Scott Borderud for his willingness to have this kind of conversation with me. You will find it to be an honest, sometimes somber conversation but one I found deeply encouraging. Scott served as a military chaplain and pastor for over 30 years. Scott is married to Carol. They have three children. Joshua, Christy and  Katherine and are blessed with five grand children. 

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I have to admit, as I get older I stand back curious and some times burdened as I watch the up and coming generation navigate perhaps some of the same challenges we grew up with, but perhaps with different world views. I have also observed with keen interest, and equal concern how progressive Christianity is shaping the world view of many in what we refer to as Gen Z. Things are not as black and white as they perhaps were for us. Moral issues are viewed and approached with more nuances than it might have been for us. Things like abortion, same sex attraction and social justice and even the gospel message are more complicated conversations with less clear conviction. All this will certainly shape our future and the future of the church.

I had the privilege for a second time to sit down with Professor Rich Griffith to specifically discuss all this with him. Rich serves as professor of Youth Ministry at Toccoa Falls College.  Rich Griffith is the single dad of two (adopted) sons, Aaron (19) and Dylan (16). After some time in the U. S. Army, he has spent 29 years in Youth Ministry exclusively while working in a variety of Church and Para-Church settings including Young Life (helping to pioneer Young Life’s ministry to early adolescents called “Wyld Life”), Ministry Architects and Military Community Youth Ministries. He has been a Lead Pastor for the past 4.5 while also still serving in a variety of Youth Ministry capacities. Obviously, he is passionate about youth, families and The Church. He is a published Author and Contributor to “The Teen Devotional Bible” as well as other Youth and Ministry related publications. 

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For some time I have been wanting to talk about the pastor and his money. One of the stresses in ministry is the pastor’s need for security which can add to the tensions in his life. A low paying ministry. Debt. Moves. Unexpected change. THis is an important topic because it is also a kingdom topic. How we handle money, our attitude toward money, how we even handle some of the trials that come with money says something about our commitment to the gospel which by now you know is a heart and center subject to me. I am pleased this morning to have an expert talk to us about this but he is also a man who loves the Lord Jesus deeply. His name is Russ Crosson. Russ Crosson is Executive Vice President and Chief Mission Officer of Ronald Blue Trust. Russ serves as chief advocate for the heart and soul of the organization and works to ensure the mission of the company is carried out with integrity in every area of the organization with a focus on making sure the company’s mission is passed down and inculcated into future generations. Prior to his current position, Russ served as President & CEO of Ronald Blue & Co. from 2002 to 2017. He was hired by Ron Blue in 1980 as the second employee of Ronald Blue & Co. He has worked extensively in all areas of financial planning – specializing in comprehensive financial, estate and philanthropic planning, as well as generational family wealth management and transfer. Russ is the author of several books including Your Life…Well Spent, The Truth About Money Lies, What Makes a Leader Great, and Your Money Made Simple. He has also been a featured speaker in many venues including Promise Keepers, Issachar Summit, and America’s Best Hope.

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Today I have the privilege of interviewing Jim Newheiser on the topic of Pastors, Parents and Prodigals. I’ve been wanting to do this podcast for some time but wasn’t sure how to approach it. Increasingly, with my ministry, and even out of my personal friendships, I am becoming burdened for parents navigating the reality that their children, now adults, are either not following the Lord or seriously question their faith. This can be very disorienting especially for parents who feel they did the best they could in pointing their son or daughter toward Jesus and the gospel. What do you do with this? How do you find comfort? Where do you get perspective? These and more are the questions I sat down to talk to Jim Newsheimer about.

Jim is the Director of the Christian Counseling program and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He served in pastoral ministry for over thirty years in Southern California and Saudi Arabia. He has served as the director of The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD) since 2006.  He is a Fellow and a board member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). Jim has been practicing biblical counseling since 1982.

Read blog here

Order Jim’s book here

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Since last podcast we need something lighter. Let me give some context. I grew up in Papua, Indonesia and have the fondest memories of traveling from one village of town to another thanks to a mission organization called Mission Aviation Fellowship. Like many missionary kids I longed to one day become a pilot, and while this podcast is not at all about that, I did fulfill that dream.  Twenty years ago I became a licensed pilot. But here is what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the legacy of MAF and I am going to do that with some help. Today’s podcast will be light hearted but still deeply spiritually and encouraging. Today’s guest is David Fyock who serves in the UK with MAF International.

Dave and Hilda Fyock are missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship. Dave and Hilda have enjoyed over 25 years with MAF serving in Albania, Costa Rica and the US home office in Idaho. They currently serve in the UK with MAF International, a sister organization. Their two sons have remained in the US. Sean works for a tech company and Micah attends university.

Dave states, “MAF is about seeing isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ’s name. Acts 17:26 indicates that God has set a time and determined the borders for every nation or people group so that they will come to seek His face. I am privileged to serve with an organization that focuses on the least accessible areas of the world.”

In September 2017 Dave was installed as the CEO for MAF International. His 12 years serving in various vice president roles in the US have given him a great foundation upon which to build as he leads this team of committed men and women.

God had been preparing Dave and Hilda from childhood for this ministry. Both became Christians when they were five years old and came from strong Christian homes. Dave was born in Pennsylvania, and lived in Venezuela with his missionary parents during his teen years. It was there that he felt called to the ministry. Dave received a B.S. degree in aviation technology from LeTourneau University in Texas. He is a licensed airframe and power plant mechanic as well as a commercial pilot.

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Like many of you I have been reeling from the stories that have come out in the last years of great Christian leaders, mostly men, who have fallen hard. How do we respond to these events? What is it doing for the church or to the church? Why does this even happen to people we look up to and admire and then find they have a completely double life. Why should this be good for our own faith where it forces us to look inwardly at our own tendencies and sins. How can this also be good for the gospel. Not long ago I ran into a blog online written by pastor Nick Stumbo entitled Ravi Zacharias and Sexual Misconduct Among Christian Leaders. I decided to reach out to pastor Stumbo to discuss this particular case but also more generally the question of what we can learn from it. As a third-generation pastor, Nick Stumbo started his ministry career at the East Hills Alliance Church in Kelso, Washington. Serving as their lead pastor for more than a decade, Nick observed the fallout of sexual brokenness and devastation in the lives of men and women in the church and recognized, like never before, the need for a culture of grace in the Church.Confronted with his own addiction to pornography, Nick and his wife, Michelle, found hope and healing through the counseling and group ministries of Pure Desire. It radically changed their lives! His public disclosure to his church body lead to a revival of forgiveness and healing, launching Pure Desire groups—of hope and freedom—for men and women. Following his healing, Nick stayed connected to Pure Desire through group leadership and has authored two books, Setting Us Free and Safe. Today, as the Executive Director for Pure Desire, Nick continues to believe that the Church can become a place of healing and that Pure Desire is leading the way. His passion for the Church and this ministry is evident.

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I picked up and read best selling author Dave Harvey’s popular book “When Sinners Say I Do” about a year ago, and I loved it. How important it was to be reminded that problems happen in marriage because we are sinners, but there is hope because we have a Savior. Not long ago, I connected with Dr. Dave Harvey and asked if we could talk, for my podcast. He agreed, I was happy, and we had a great time talking also about his latest book, a devotional called, I STILL DO. My wife and I have enjoyed many early morning coffee talks around this wonderful devotional. Listen to this podcast and order the books from the links below.

DAVE HARVEY (D. Min – Westminster Theological Seminary) serves as the president of Great Commission Collective, a church planting ministry in the US, Canada and abroad. In his 33 years of ministry, Dave was president of Sojourn Network, oversaw church planting, church care & international outreach for Sovereign Grace Churches, was a lead pastor for 19 years, and pastored for a total of 33 years. He is also the founder of AmICalled.com. Dave presently serves on the board for the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and has traveled nationally and internationally doing conferences where he teaches Christians, trains pastors & church planters and conducts marriage events. Dave served as general editor for the Sojourn Network ‘How-To’ series and contributes regularly at The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, and For the Church.  Dave is the author of When Sinners Say I Do, Am I Called?, Rescuing Ambition, Letting Go: Rugged Love For Wayward Soul (co-authored w/ Paul Gilbert), and  I STILL DO! Growing Closer and Stronger Through Life’s Defining Moments. Married for 37 years, Dave and Kimm have four kids, four grandkids and lives in southwest Florida.

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