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Biblical counselor Kathryn Weber joins Inside Out to talk about how anxiety, long-term, can actually hurt us physically as well as emotionally. But followers of Jesus Christ can move toward quieting our souls by paying attention to what we feed our imaginations. Weber is the author of the 2025 Gospel Coalition article “How a Redeemed Imagination Frees Us from Anxiety’s Power.”

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The world has changed since Christianity Today published author and speaker Jen Pollock Michel’s January 2020 article, “Love Your Neighbor in the New Year: Answer Their Emails and Texts.” Listen to what she’s thinking in 2026 about how we can be good neighbors in a digital world.

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It’s the new year. And even if you don’t make resolutions, many of us find January a great time to start fresh, grow in a new direction, or add energy to what we say we prioritize.

To commemorate this start to the new year, Pastor Dave Stone joins me on Family Life’s Inside Out. We talk about moving into the new year with gratitude, even when difficulties from the past remain our companions past December 31. Dave Stone has over thirty years of pastoral experience and currently serves a congregation in Phoenix, AZ. He is a member of the Focus on the Family Board of Directors and hosts Focus’s podcast Pastor to Pastor.

Inside Out/Blog

TOPIC: Gifts that Point to the Giver

Broadcast/podcast date: December 17, 2025

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Elmhurst, IL, pastor and writer Brandon Cooper believes that what and how we give at Christmas can point children to the very “giver of good gifts” we celebrate.

Because we want Christmas to be God-focused, “the question we want to be asking ourselves as parents is how exactly are we training our kids? Are we training them to love gifts or are we training them to love the giver of the gifts?” Cooper says. “And are we training them to love especially the greatest gift ever given, Jesus himself?”

Brandon Cooper is the author of the 2024 Gospel Coalition article “Give Your Kids Lasting Joy for Christmas.”

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#InsideOut

We want mass shootings to end. So what stands in the way of the American Church taking the lead in a conversation about guns and gun deaths?

Gospel Coalition writer, podcaster, and Canadian Pastor Paul Carter believes that the conversation is difficult for Americans because, unlike in other countries, gun ownership is  woven into American identity. And the conversation about guns and gun deaths may be additionally hard, Carter suggests, because some American Christians seem to place the authority of the US Constitution on the same level as Scripture. That means conversations about Constitutionally protected rights run into conflict with Jesus’ call to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. 

But when American Christians engage with believers from other countries, Carter believes, we can benefit from hearing fully Christian, but often very different, perspectives on the importance of gun ownership.

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As more people appear to be “cutting off” their parents when the relationship grows difficult, Martha Manikas-Foster talks with Vancouver, Washington counseling director—and Rochester native—Dr. Beth Claes about how Christians might negotiate dysfunctional relationships while still honoring their faither and mother.

Claes is counseling director for Vancouver, Washington’s New Heights Church, and author of the Gospel Coalition article "Before You Cut Off Your Parents: 3 Principles to Consider."

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Inside Out/Summary

In this Family Life Inside Out conversation, evangelist and Christian apologist Abdu Murray and host Martha Manikas-Foster discuss reasons for mass shootings, ways Christians can reach across divides, and benefits of both prayer and good thoughts in the wake of tragedy. Murray is the founder of the organization Embrace the Truth  and author of numerous books including Grand Central  Question, More Than a White Man’s Religion, and Saving Truth.

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Inside Out/Blog

TOPIC: Shootings: The Value of Thoughts and Prayers

Air Date: November 5, 2025

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A lot’s been said about the “thoughts and prayers” reaction to school shootings and mass violence in America.

In this Family Life Inside Out conversation, evangelist and Christian apologist Abdu Murray and host Martha Manikas-Foster discuss reasons for mass shootings, ways Christians can reach across divides, and benefits of both prayer and good thoughts in the wake of tragedy. Murray is the founder of the organization Embrace the Truth  and author of numerous books including Grand Central  Question, More Than a White Man’s Religion, and Saving Truth.

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God can and does use strangers and even enemies to teach us, says professor and pastor Dr. AJ Swoboda, and he encourages us to grow as believers who are teachable. Swoboda’s new book is titled A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone.

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Inside Out/Blog

TOPIC: Learning from Enemies

Broadcast date: October 22, 2025

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God can and does use strangers and even enemies to teach us, says professor and pastor Dr. A.J. Swoboda, who encourages us to grow as believers who are teachable.

“The question is: why would we want to learn from our enemies?” Swoboda asks in this Inside Out podcast. “Because Jesus loves to use surprising people to form us into His image.”

Swoboda is a former campus staff worker and current pastor, professor, and urban farmer. His new book is titled A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone.

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On this edition of Family Life’s Inside Out, Martha Manikas-Foster talks with author Michelle Van Loon who suggests that it’s time to downsize the Evangelical Church so that it more closely resembles the Body Jesus called it to be. 

Van Loon’s newest book is titled Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials.

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Inside Out/Blog

TOPIC: Time to Downsize the Church?

Broadcast date: October 1, 2025

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Nothing--nothing--is strong enough to defeat God’s Church. Jesus said so. But what parts of how we “do church” are essential, and what parts have we added on, burdening, burning out, or  hurting brothers and sisters with things that are not essential to Jesus’ call on His people in the world?

On this edition of Inside Out, Manikas-Foster talks with author Michelle Van Loon, who suggests it’s time to downsize so that the Evangelical Church again resembles the Body Jesus called it to be. 

Michelle Van Loon’s newest book is titled Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials.

On this edition of Inside Out, Martha Manikas Foster talks with author Michelle Van Loon who suggests that it's time to downsize the evangelical church so it more closely resembles the Body Jesus called it to be.