The Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka serves as the senior pastor and head of staff at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. Dr. Nishioka is one of the most sought-after preachers and teachers in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He is widely considered to be one of the preeminent experts in youth and adolescent ministry in the denomination. Dr. Nishioka joins me in conversation to discuss the ever-changing landscape of youth and young adult ministry and offers his reflections on Christian education in a post-pandemic, Gen-Alpha world.

     Rev. Dr. Ed McLeod joins me in conversation. Recently retired, Dr. McLeod has served as the pastor at churches in Greer, South Carolina, Sumter, South Carolina and most recently Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary and the College of William & Mary, he has served on the Board of Trustees of both Union Presbyterian Seminary and William Peace University along with numerous presbytery committees. He was also my pastor growing up in Sumter, South Carolina. Ed and I discuss ministry, the call and a lifetime of lessons in ministry he’s learned along the way.

     Eva Jade Landon is a multi-award winning recording artist and “Best Female Pop Artist” and "Musician of the Year" nominee by the Indie Music Channel Awards and RAW Awards. She has collaborated with Grammy-nominated producer Dan Mathews and was called “the mid Atlantic’s biggest secret” by the Washington Examiner. Her new album, "Evolved," drops on October 1st. 

     In addition to being a recording artist, Eva identifies as a Zen Buddhist and a queer woman who is committed to the work of local interfaith dialogue. She serves as a local interfaith program director here in southwest Ohio. 

     Eva discusses how language and representation matter in the realm of interfaith conversations with young people, how she has navigated the complexities of queer representation in her own career in the music industry, how she thinks pop music can be effective as a form of advocacy for social justice and talks about performing at the home of magician Penn Jillette! 

     Doc Eason is one of the premiere close-up magicians in the country. For thirty years, he was the resident magician at the legendary Tower Comedy Magic Bar in Snowmass, Colorado owned by the world famous recording artist, John Denver. He is a multi-award winning performer at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, including Close Up Magician of the Year (which he has won twice), Lecturer of the Year (which he has also won twice) and WC Fields Magic Bartender of the Year.

     Doc has a new book out called “Cocktails and Doc Tales” available now from Rocky Mountain Magic. He joins me to share stories, wisdom and insights from nearly forty years of performing for audiences in intimate settings night after night.

Stevi Incremona narrated the audiobook for "Gray Man." She is a professional actress and rock singer based out of New York. Stevi makes a living creating demos for Broadway musicals while they're in active development. This episode, we discuss the perils of maintaining your authenticity in an industry that thrives on self-promotion and how her new live touring show is a tribute to Amy Winehouse.

The Book of Job is one of the most challenging (some say, maybe even one of the oldest) books of the Hebrew Bible. It raises complicated questions for people of faith such as "Why do bad things happen? Why does God allow suffering? Does God actually cause suffering?"

This episode, I'm joined by one of the world's most celebrate scholars of the Hebrew Bible and author of the widely acclaimed "The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary," Professor Robert Alter. I am also joined by guest co-host, the Reverend Chrissy Westbury, to consider these challenging Biblical questions from both an academic and a spiritual perspective.

It's the very first episode of "Don't Encourage This!" On my very first show, I sit down with award-winning novelist Carla Damron. Carla talks about the creative process, her newest novel, "Justice Be Done" and how storytelling is a form of advocacy for social change.