Impact Nations Podcast

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What if Christ is already present in the people we overlook—and what if sin has not separated us from the God who is holding us together?

In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart sits down with his dear friend Dr. Bradley Jersak, Principal of St. Stephen’s University, Director of the SSU School of Theology & Culture, author of more than twenty books—including A More Christlike God and A More Christlike Word—and a member of the Impact Nations Board of Directors.

Bradley begins with the message at the heart of his life and work: “God is exactly like Jesus.” From there, Tim and Bradley explore what it means to encounter Christ in unexpected people and places, especially among those the Church has been trained to approach as projects rather than partners.

They reconsider familiar assumptions about Christian mission, the Great Commission, salvation, and separation from God. Bradley shares stories of meeting Christ among unhoused neighbours, learning from Indigenous wisdom, and witnessing restoration in someone experiencing profound addiction and brokenness.

The conversation also turns inward. How much of our anger, judgment, and religious certainty is driven by fear or untreated wounds? How can we understand the wounds beneath destructive behaviour without excusing the harm? And how do we pursue justice without allowing resentment, contempt, or rage bait to shape our hearts?

This is a warm, candid conversation about mercy, mutuality, healing, and learning to recognize the work Christ may already be doing before we arrive.

In This Episode

• Why “God is exactly like Jesus” has become Bradley’s central life message
• How younger people respond to a more Christlike vision of God
• Why serving marginalized people must involve listening, partnership, and mutuality
• The Indigenous elder who told Christian visitors, “Christ was here 500 years before the first Christians arrived”
• How colonial assumptions have shaped common readings of the Great Commission
• What it means to say that all people exist in Christ
• Why Bradley distinguishes alienation from actual separation from God
• Salvation as a past, present, and future journey of whole-person restoration
• How fear, wounds, resentment, and contempt affect the way we treat others

If this conversation gives you something new to consider, follow or subscribe to the Impact Nations Podcast so you don’t miss the rest of the Summer Series. Share this episode with someone who is rethinking mission, salvation, or what it means to recognize Christ in others.

Featured Resources

Bradley Jersak’s website:
https://bradjersak.com

Bradley Jersak on Substack:
https://substack.com/@bradleyjersak

Bradley Jersak on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bradley.jersak/

Bradley’s books, including A More Christlike God and A More Christlike Word:
https://bradjersak.com/books/

St. Stephen’s University:
https://www.ssu.ca

Certificate in Transformative Leadership:
https://www.ssu.ca/cert-in-transformative-leadership

Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership:
https://www.ssu.ca/ma-in-transformative-leadership

Connect With Impact Nations

Website:
https://www.impactnations.com

Journeys of Compassion:
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion

All Impact Nations links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

Help Make Restoration Possible

Become a Monthly Impact Champion and help Impact Nations keep showing up with practical compassion, trusted local leadership, and long-term pathways toward restoration:

https://www.impactnations.com/monthly-impact-champions

Give to Impact Nations:
https://www.impactnations.com/donate

#BradleyJersak #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #ChristlikeGod #FaithAndJustice #ChristianMission #Restoration

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Leadership can begin with a sincere desire to serve—and quietly turn into the belief that everything depends on you.

In this episode of the Impact Nations Podcast, Tim Stewart welcomes author, speaker, leadership coach, and Ezer Collective founder Jo Saxton for an honest conversation about calling, character, burnout, identity, and the hidden costs of leading others.

Jo challenges the idea that leadership is simply a position or job title. Healthy leadership is shaped by how we use our influence, how honestly we face our wounds and limitations, and whether the people around us are becoming healthier—or simply learning to imitate our dysfunction.

Together, Tim and Jo explore imposter syndrome, the pressure to be the solution, the importance of rest and trusted relationships, and what happens when leaders ignore their humanity for too long. Jo also shares candidly about her own season of exhaustion and disillusionment, why she needed to step away, and what helped her rediscover her calling.

The conversation also turns toward how churches identify and develop leaders, why charisma must never be valued above character, and whether our practices truly reflect what we claim to believe about women and leadership.

In this episode:

• Why leadership is more than a title, platform, or position
• How imposter syndrome can prevent people from developing their gifts
• Why leaders become dangerous when they believe they are the solution
• How our habits quietly shape the culture around us
• The importance of trusted friends who can tell us the truth
• What burnout, betrayal, and disappointment can cost a leader
• Why charisma should never matter more than character
• How churches unintentionally create unhealthy leadership cultures
• What meaningful investment in women leaders actually requires 

Subscribe or follow the Impact Nations Podcast so you do not miss future conversations about faith, justice, leadership, spiritual formation, and the practical work of helping people and communities flourish.

Please share this episode with a leader, pastor, colleague, or friend who may need permission to rest, tell the truth about how they are doing, or reconsider the kind of leadership culture they are creating.

Featured Resources

Jo Saxton
https://www.josaxton.com

Ezer Collective and REVIVE
Leadership development and restorative spaces for women leading across ministry, business, healthcare, education, nonprofit work, and other fields:
https://www.josaxton.com/ezer-collective/

Connect with Impact Nations

Website:
https://www.impactnations.com

Journeys of Compassion:
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion

All Impact Nations links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

Impact Nations works alongside trusted local leaders to bring practical expressions of God’s kingdom to vulnerable communities around the world. Our partners provide clean water, medical care, food relief, vocational training, support for vulnerable women and children, and pathways toward lasting transformation.

To support this work:
https://www.impactnations.com/donate

#JoSaxton #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #HealthyLeadership #WomenInLeadership #LeadershipBurnout #ChristianLeadership

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Rescuing someone from danger can save a life. But what does it take for that person to become truly free?

In this compelling conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes Danielle Strickland—author, speaker, justice advocate, and founder of movements working for freedom, healing, and human flourishing—to explore why rescue is only the beginning of liberation.

Danielle explains why getting people out of harm must be followed by the longer work of getting the harm out of people. Together, she and Tim discuss trauma, community, prayer, justice, dignity, women in leadership, and the systems that keep people trapped. Danielle also shares what working as a brothel chaplain taught her about abandoning the role of rescuer, asking for help, and discovering mutual transformation.

In this episode:

• Why rescue is the beginning—not the finish line
• How people are gradually “unwound” from trauma and oppression
• Why community and belonging are essential to freedom
• What prayer has to do with justice
• How Jesus restored dignity by giving people agency
• What brothel chaplaincy taught Danielle about receiving help
• Why play can be part of healing from trauma
• Women, leadership, and the example of Jesus
• Why lasting freedom requires both personal and systemic transformation

If this conversation challenges or encourages you, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE and SHARE it with someone who would value these hope-filled discussions. Helping new listeners discover the podcast is one of the most meaningful ways you can support its growth.

FEATURED RESOURCES

🌐 Danielle Strickland
https://www.daniellestrickland.com

🔥 The Boundless Collective
https://www.boundlessenterprise.org/join-the-collective

EXPLORE IMPACT NATIONS

🌐 Website
https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion

❤️ Give and help families move from crisis to flourishing
https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations links
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

FOLLOW IMPACT NATIONS

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

#DanielleStrickland #SummerSeries2026 #Freedom #Justice #Healing #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations

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What if God's calling isn't something we discover in one dramatic moment, but something we live out every day?

In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart sits down with Dr. Susan Maros—professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, author, and leadership scholar—to unpack some of the most common misconceptions about calling, purpose, and vocation.

Together they explore how our families, churches, cultures, and life experiences shape our understanding of God's invitation. They discuss agency, leadership, women in ministry, burnout, discernment, and why faithfulness—not extraordinary achievement—is often the truest measure of a life well lived.

Whether you're discerning your next step, questioning your purpose, or simply longing to live more intentionally, this conversation offers practical wisdom and deep encouragement for every season of life.

In this episode:

•  Understanding God's call in everyday life 
•  Why faithfulness matters more than extraordinary success 
•  Recognizing recurring patterns of purpose 
•  Agency, leadership, and human flourishing 
•  Women and leadership in the Church 
•  Discernment through life's changing seasons 
•  Becoming the person God is forming you to be 

Featured Resources

📘 Calling in Context: Social Location and Vocational Formation
https://a.co/d/09NU7yVJ

📘 Power, Agency, and Women in the Mission of God
https://a.co/d/01b4XkXo

🌐 Dr. Susan Maros
https://susanlmaros.com

🔗 Explore Impact Nations

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

📱 Follow Impact Nations

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

If this episode encourages or challenges you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

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Following Jesus has always been more than identifying as a Christian—it means embracing the way of Christ.

In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart sits down with Dr. Obery Hendricks—New Testament scholar, professor, and acclaimed author—to explore what it looks like to move beyond cultural Christianity and recover the radical vision of the Gospel.

Together they discuss the Kingdom of God, justice, discipleship, wealth, poverty, and why Jesus consistently called His followers to love their neighbors through tangible action. Dr. Hendricks invites listeners to reconsider what it means to faithfully follow Christ in a world that often adopts the language of Christianity while neglecting the teachings of Jesus.

Whether you're rethinking long-held assumptions or simply longing to follow Jesus more faithfully, this conversation offers a thoughtful challenge to rediscover the heart of the Gospel and live it out every day.

In this episode:

•  Following Jesus beyond cultural Christianity 
•  The biblical meaning of the Kingdom of God 
•  Justice as a central theme of Scripture 
•  Loving our neighbors through action 
•  The Church's responsibility beyond its own walls 
•  Faith that transforms communities 
•  Living out the teachings of Jesus today 

Featured Resources

📘 The Politics of Jesus by Dr. Obery Hendricks
https://a.co/d/0fnBlCG0

✍️ The New Politics of Jesus (Substack)
https://substack.com/@oberyhendricks

🔗 Explore Impact Nations

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

📱 Follow Impact Nations

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

If this episode encourages or challenges you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

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Few teachings of Jesus challenge us more than His call to love our enemies.

In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes Father John Dear—Catholic priest, internationally recognized peace activist, author, and founder of the Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus.

Together they explore what happens when we read the Gospels through the lens of peace. The conversation examines the Sermon on the Mount, the cross, loving our enemies, discipleship, nuclear weapons, restorative justice, and the Church's calling to embody the peace of Christ.

Whether this conversation confirms your convictions or challenges them, it offers an invitation to read the Gospels with fresh eyes and wrestle honestly with the teachings of Jesus.

In this episode:

•  Viewing the Gospels through the lens of peace 
•  The Sermon on the Mount as a guide for discipleship 
•  What the cross reveals about God's character 
•  Loving our enemies in a divided world 
•  Gandhi, Dr. King, and Christian peacemaking 
•  Practicing restorative justice 
•  Following Jesus with courage and conviction 

Featured Resources

📚 Father John Dear's Books
https://johndear.org/books/

🌐 John Dear
 https://johndear.org

🌐 Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus
 https://beatitudescenter.org

🎙️ The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast
 https://beatitudescenter.org/podcast

🔗 Explore Impact Nations:

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
 https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

📱 Follow Impact Nations:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

If this episode encourages or challenges you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

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Immigration affects millions of people around the world, but for followers of Jesus, it is also a deeply biblical conversation.

In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra—pastor, professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, author, and one of the leading Christian voices on immigration and faith-rooted community organizing.

Together, they explore God's heart for the stranger, the Church's responsibility to care for vulnerable people, and practical ways believers can partner with immigrant communities to restore dignity, pursue justice, and live as peacemakers.

Rather than offering political talking points, this conversation invites listeners to see immigration through the lens of Scripture and the Kingdom of God.

In this episode:

•  Welcoming the stranger as a biblical calling 
•  The body of Christ without borders 
•  Restoring dignity through relationship 
•  Why churches should partner with immigrant communities 
•  Faith-rooted peacemaking in divided times 
•  Practical ways to serve locally 
•  Living out the Gospel with compassion and courage 

Featured Resources

📖 Welcoming the Stranger by Matthew Soerens & Jenny Yang

🌐 Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra (Fuller Theological Seminary)
 https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/alexia-salvatierra/

🌐 World Relief
 https://worldrelief.org/

🌐 Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)
 https://ccda.org/

🔗 Explore Impact Nations:

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
 https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

📱 Follow Impact Nations:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

If this episode encourages you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

#AlexiaSalvatierra #SummerSeries2026 #WelcomingTheStranger #ChristianPodcast #Justice #Hospitality #Peacemaking #ImpactNations

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Life often presents us with tensions that cannot be neatly resolved. We experience joy and grief, certainty and mystery, hope and disappointment—all at the same time. In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes artist, author, and storyteller Scott Erickson for a rich conversation about learning to find beauty within those tensions.

Together, they explore how prayer, creativity, grief, and wonder shape our spiritual lives. Scott reflects on the role of paradox in faith, why art can help us process experiences that words alone cannot capture, and how healing often begins when we stop trying to force simple answers.

The conversation also examines the idea of the "wounded healer," the importance of honest prayer, and how beauty can open us to deeper encounters with God in the midst of life's complexities.

In this episode:

• Why paradox is central to the spiritual journey
• Learning to find beauty in tension and uncertainty
• Prayer as an ongoing conversation with God
• The relationship between creativity and spiritual formation
• Grief, healing, and transformation
• Becoming a wounded healer for others
• Discovering meaning in life's unresolved spaces

📚 Featured Resources:

Stations in the Street
https://www.scottericksonart.com/stations-in-the-street

In the Low: Honest Prayers for Dark Seasons
https://www.inthelow.com/

🌐 Learn more about Scott Erickson:
https://www.scottericksonart.com

📷 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/scottthepainter

✍️ Substack:
https://substack.com/@scottthepainter

🔗 Explore Impact Nations:

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

📱 Follow Impact Nations:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

If this episode encourages you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

#ScottErickson #SummerSeries2026 #BeautyInTheTension #SpiritualFormation #Prayer #Creativity #FaithJourney #ChristianPodcast

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Suffering raises difficult questions about God, faith, and what it means to follow Jesus in a broken world. In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes theologian and author Dr. Kelly Kapic for an honest conversation about grief, pain, lament, and unanswered prayers.

Drawing from years of academic research and personal experience caring for his wife through chronic illness, Dr. Kapic explores why Christians need to rediscover the language of lament, how we can acknowledge the realities of suffering without denying God's goodness, and why the Incarnation reveals a God who enters into our pain rather than remaining distant from it.

Together, they discuss the importance of community in seasons of suffering, the relationship between forgiveness and healing, and how the Gospel offers not merely escape from this world, but participation in God's ongoing work of restoration.

If you've wrestled with disappointment, loss, chronic pain, or questions about where God is in the midst of suffering, this episode offers thoughtful guidance, theological depth, and hope for the journey.

In this episode:

• Rediscovering lament as a faithful response to suffering
• Holding together grief and God's goodness
• Finding God's presence in pain through the Incarnation
• Why honest faith makes room for sorrow and questions
• The healing role of Christian community
• Forgiveness as part of restoration and healing
• Hope in the midst of grief, pain, and unanswered prayers

📚 Featured Resource:
When the Journey Hurts: Finding Meaning and Hope in Suffering for Heart, Mind, and Soul
by Kelly Kapic, M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall, and Jason McMartin

Amazon: https://a.co/d/0cxYmjcR

🌐 Learn more about Dr. Kelly Kapic:
https://www.kellykapic.com

🔗 Explore Impact Nations:

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

📱 Follow Impact Nations:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

If this episode encourages you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others who may need hope in the midst of suffering.

#SummerSeries2026 #KellyKapic #Lament #FaithAndSuffering #ChristianPodcast #Grief #UnansweredPrayers #Hope #SpiritualFormation

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Why does work feel different than it used to?

In this opening episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes Jonathan Lewis, President of McKee Wallwork and author of The Rebuilders: Daily Foundations for the Leaders We Need.

Jonathan shares insights from extensive workforce research and explains why so many people today are struggling with purpose, hope, and meaning. Together, they explore what leaders can do to help people move beyond transactional relationships and toward lives marked by purpose, resilience, and growth.

In this episode:

• Why employees increasingly seek meaning, not just compensation
• The concept of "Transactional, Futureless Suffering" (TFS)
• How leaders create quests that inspire people
• Why suffering can produce either hope or bitterness
• The difference between control and responsibility
• Excellence, grace, and healthy organizational cultures
• Storytelling as a leadership tool
• Why wisdom matters more than ever in a rapidly changing world

This conversation offers practical insights for leaders, entrepreneurs, pastors, nonprofit professionals, and anyone trying to navigate an increasingly complex world with courage and purpose.

📖 Learn more about Jonathan Lewis and The Rebuilders:
https://www.mckeewallwork.com

https://www.mckeewallwork.com/book-review/the-rebuilders-daily-foundations-for-the-leaders-we-need/

🔗 Explore Impact Nations:

🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc

❤️ Give and be part of the mission:

👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

#Leadership #FutureOfWork #MeaningfulWork #Purpose #WorkplaceCulture #BusinessLeadership #PersonalGrowth #ImpactNations #Podcast #Hope