Good Books Big Questions

“Impossible situations position us for intimacy with God,” writes author and Nashville singer-songwriter Tanya Godsey. Her family’s experience establishing a church for Mexican migrant workers in a small Texas town taught her that lesson from an early age. In this crucible of Tanya’s origin story, a passion for befriending God was born.

In her book, Befriending God: How We Are Undone, Changed, and Made New, Tanya writes about what friendship with God can look like, and how we can cooperate with God in the midst of suffering to become more Christ-like. Are you feeling distant from God? Are hard times driving you further from God rather than closer? This book and this conversation invite you into an authentic and transformative relationship with the One who loves you.

Tanya Godsey is a singer-songwriter, author, speaker, spiritual formation director, ordained minister, and Founder of Redeeming the Story. She is also the host of The Unforced Gifts podcast. Tanya has released four critically acclaimed albums, with a fifth on the way in 2027. 

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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Good Books, Big Questions Podcast | Season 3, Episode 3 

Credits:

Producer: Margot Linke

Publisher of NavPress: David Zimmerman

Expert audio advice and graphic design: Jean-Sebastien Villeneuve 

Theme music: Alex Mastronardi, Pond5

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Are you a quiet time drop out? Or maybe you've never tried setting aside a few deliberate moments each day to focus on God, and to experience God's smile upon you. Brian Heasley, author of Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times, says that God does smile when we turn our attention to Him.

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In his book, newly published by NavPress and by 24-7 Prayer in 2021, Brian not only offers a practical guide to establishing and sticking to a routine of quiet times, he also helps readers understand the built-in benefits that follow. "What happens in the chair shouldn't stay in the chair," he writes.

What does that mean for our lives? And if we're praying in that chair, what if our prayers don't seem to work? How does doubt and all our big questions play into this conversation? Brian Heasley does not back away from the big, tough questions. And sometimes, there just aren't easy answers.

Brian Heasley serves as 24-7 Prayer's International Prayer Director. 24-7 is the organization that created the popular Lectio 365 app. He has served as a global ambassador for Thy Kingdom Come, an initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is also a trustee of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a charity working in the area of Freedom of Religious Belief.

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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

"We can rest in the fact that Christ is never scandalized by our despair, or alarmed to find us sunk in the abyss," writes Jean Neely. "For Christ the deep ocean trenches are neither forbidden nor catastrophic. They're just another location in God's vast, mercy-filled cosmos."

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Jean Neely has lived in the ambiguity of believing God is present wherever we find ourselves, but sometimes not feeling that presence. Shocked by a manic-depressive diagnosis as a teenager, Jean went on to experience both the good and the not-so-good response of an evangelical subculture that is not always comfortable with mental unwellness. What if God doesn't heal? And what if that's also completely acceptable?

Jean's book, Christ in the Abyss, tenderly presents an alternative to "healing-only" faith narratives. There is room for those whose emotional suffering remains unresolved. Faith is possible and can live on, even in prolonged struggle.

Jean L. Neely, PhD, is a Korean American writer and a writing instructor at Azusa Pacific University. She has degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Irvine and the Sorbonne University in Paris, and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Southern California. Jean writes regularly on issues of mental health and faith for Faith & Leadership, a resource from the Duke Divinity School for Christian leaders. She has also written for Sojourners, Inheritance Magazine, the Asian American Christian Collaborative, and Christians for Social Action. She has been active in InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty ministry for many years and has taught seminars on navigating intersections of faith, spiritual formation, and mental health at faculty retreats and other ministry settings. 

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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Eight new episodes of Good Books Big Questions are coming your way starting October 5th. We have some great, honest conversations lined up you for with NavPress authors including Jean Neely, Brian Heasley, Tanya Godsey, Wayne Francis, Janel Breitenstein, Liz Daye, Bill Mowry, and Anna Broadway. We dig into everything from finding God in the midst of mental illness and impossible situations, to doubt, unanswered prayer, sexuality, and parenting.

You can now watch unabridged episodes here on Youtube. Check out Season 1 and 2 videos now. Season 3 videos will drop on Youtube along with the audio podcasts each Monday.

We have two exciting updates for you. Our podcast is now on Youtube. You can watch 14 unabridged episodes from Season 1 and 2 on the NavPress Youtube channel. We go even deeper on topics such as self care; getting along with people who disagree with us; wrestling with honest questions about faith; and searching for God when life gets really hard. Also, Season 3 is in the works!  More good books, big questions and great conversations with NavPress authors are coming your way this fall 2026. 

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In our last episode of Season 2, we take you to the 2026 Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In amongst the book tables and hubbub, host Karen Stiller sat down with NavPress editors Caitlyn Carlson and Olivia Eldredge to talk about how book ideas are selected (Spoiler: it’s not about platform); why NavPress leans into the harder questions of faith; and what makes a book successful. And the answer to that question might surprise you. 

Caitlyn Carlson is a senior acquisitions editor at NavPress. Olivia Eldredge is the editor for Eugene H. Peterson’s Message Bible line at NavPress.

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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

“An untold story never heals. It just festers.” That’s one of the big motivations Mary DeMuth offers us for reexamining and then sharing our life stories with each other. In her 2026 book Restory Your Life: How Jesus Reframes Your Past, Rewrites Your Present, and Redefines Your Future, DeMuth invites readers to use storytelling techniques, such as conflict, climax, and denouement – a fancy word for conclusion – to help us sort through the past and find God in the midst of it all. In sharing our stories, she says, we end up helping each other and deepening our friendships.

Mary DeMuth is the author of more than 50 books. She is a literary agent, international speaker, and host of the Pray Every Day podcast.

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Please let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is [email protected] And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.

The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

There are all kinds of negative terms to describe the process of re-examining what it means to be a Christian: Deconstruction. Exvangelical. A crisis of faith. What if we approached this more positively? Marty Solomon says deconstruction can be a vibrant, beautiful, and compelling reconstruction process. Solomon and Reed Dent’s 2026 book The Gospel of Being Human: How Asking Better Questions of the Bible Reveals Who We Are invites readers on a journey of curiosity. In this conversation, host Karen Stiller and Solomon discuss things like how curiosity makes us better; what the Bible says about life before death and not just life after death; why Jesus had to die; and, of course, how to respond to the deconstructors we know and love.

Marty Solomon is the President of Impact Campus Ministries and the host of the BEMA podcast.

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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Self-care sometimes gets a bad rap. It sounds entitled. But seriously bad things can happen when we don’t take care of ourselves. Ben Espinoza’s new book Good News about Self-Care: How Nurturing Your Soul, Your Self and Your Sanity Honors God is meant for a general audience. Everyone can benefit. But this is a conversation about what happens when pastors ignore self-care. The consequences can be devastating, not just for pastors and their families, but for congregations and the wider Church.

Ben Espinoza is the Lead Pastor of Riverstone Church in western New York.

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Let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is [email protected] And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.

The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

Where has Derwin Gray had conversations about Jesus? A coffee shop. A golf course. An NFL dressing room. But many Christians don’t do that. This pastor and former NFL defensive back wrote a  book called Lit up with Love: Becoming Good News People to a Gospel Starved World. It’s not so much about evangelism, as about becoming a person who overflows with good news. If you don’t always feel you’re overflowing with love or if you cringe at the thought of talking about your faith, this conversation might be especially for you. 

Derwin L. Gray is an author, speaker, Lead Pastor at Transformation Church, podcaster and former NFL player.

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Let us know what you think of the show. Our email address is [email protected] And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the show.

The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.