All relationships can be messy, but the parent/child relationship is particularly interesting. As parents get older and their kids become care-givers, that can be a rocky transition, even for the closest of families. Knowing how to navigate new boundaries, difficult life adjustments, and challenging health diagnoses can lead to a lot of stress for both the parent and the child. How can we prepare ourselves in advance for that stage of life, and what does "success" even look like? 

Today we talk with Lisa Keith from FPU who is currently facing this challenge with her parents. After they moved in with Lisa a few years ago in great health, all of their lives were forced to shift once health and memory issues rapidly entered the picture. Lisa is handling the challenges with a lot of grace, and today she reminds us that there is always a silver lining as long as we keep proper perspective. 

Sometimes unlikely pairings can lead to significant and important partnerships. In recent years, many Congolese immigrants have found a new home in the U.S. in MB church families. Henri Ngolo has been one of those influential leaders, and MB district ministers Terry Hunt and Rick Eshbaugh have been instrumental in helping these new Congolese church plants grow and thrive in the U.S.

Many immigrants coming to the U.S. today are viewing that shift as a missionary assignment. The U.S. NEEDS church leaders from around the world, and we have much to share with them. Together, we can have a huge impact on the kingdom of God locally and around the world.

A lot of positive change has already come from these Congolese partnerships, and exciting things are on the horizon. Enjoy this episode and be encouraged! 

The sudden emergence of COVID-19 rocked all of our worlds, but church leaders had to move quickly and make tough decisions about how their congregations would meet. Those tough decisions seemed to keep coming for basically an entire year, and that pressure can put a huge strain on leaders--especially in particularly divided times.

Today we talk with three of USMB's district ministers to hear what they have been hearing from our local MB pastors around the country. We hear some encouraging success stories, and we also share stories of burdens we've all had to learn to carry together. As the world starts to slowly reopen, we hope this conversation leaves you encouraged and ready to see what God is up to in this new season of ministry. 

Many of our listeners are on staff at a local church, meaning our literal job is to spread the word about Jesus. As great of a privilege as that is, often times people working in the marketplace have more opportunities to build relationships and share about their faith with non-believers. Business leaders have tremendous opportunities to share the love of Christ by the way they lead, how they treat their employees, and how they view their business. 

Jason Lansdown owns two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Wichita, and he is a fantastic leader. His faith plays a critical role in how he leads his teams and runs his restaurants, and he is very intentional about financial generosity and leadership development in the next generation.

How can you honor God with your day-to-day work? How should the church view wealth and business success? Should churches start utilizing more business principles in their leadership? This is a great episode with lots of practical advice, so enjoy this great conversation with Jason (and then go grab a Chick-fil-A sandwich). 

All of our lives have been affected by the spread of the Coronavirus, but few of us have been hit as directly as Tabor's president, Dr. Jules Glanzer. After catching COVID, his health declined dramatically and led to an extended stay in the hospital. As his symptoms got worse, he even had a vision of entering heaven that led to significant shifts in how he's choosing to spend his days now.

Even for a proud Sterling grad (!), Dr. Glanzer's story is encouraging and inspiring. He also shares important leadership lessons we can all take away from this challenging time. Thank you, Dr. Glanzer, for sharing your story so openly with us. Enjoy, listeners! 

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest parts of the human experience. It's also true that knowing how to support grieving friends can be a tricky tight rope to walk. Everyone grieves differently, and knowing how to walk alongside people on that journey can be a real challenge. 

Today we talk with Jenny Akina, a Grief Share leader from Fresno. Her husband passed away years ago, and her journey with her own grief has given her a big heart for others going through the grieving process. This week's episode has valuable information both for those who have recently lost a loved one, as well as those of us who want to support friends and family members currently going through the grieving process.

Grief is hard, and it's a topic the church doesn't often address. The Bible instructs us to mourn with those who mourn, so hopefully this conversation gives you the tools to do that well. 

Debt. College. Mortgages. Tithing. Roths. Wills. 

Like it or not, money is a big part of our lives. A lot of us didn't get great training for the nuts and bolts of a healthy financial life, and it can be challenging to know where to begin--especially if you find yourself in a tough financial situation. 

Today we talk with Nate Yoder from MB Foundation about all of this and more. How can and should we use our money to have a healthy financial outlook ourselves, and what does God have to say about our money? This is a practical and helpful episode where we think you'll learn a lot, so enjoy and get in touch with MB Foundation if you could use additional help!

After a few weeks off, we're BACK with a special two-part episode! Several big cultural events took place while we were away, and we wanted to spend some time as a family talking about the violence at the capitol and the current political landscape. Don Morris and Tim Sullivan guide us through what the MB statement of faith has to say about events like these and provide some comfort and encouragement for these times we're in.

We also talk with lawyer Lyndon Vix about free speech and the first amendment. These days there's lot of talk about "big tech" shutting down sites like Parler and taking certain leaders off platforms like Twitter. These are big and complicated issues, but as leaders, it's important for us to be educated and informed about cultural discussions like these.

Buckle up--we cover a lot of ground today. But we hope you leave encouraged and confident in your faith of who is really in charge in these troubling days we face. 

Singles often get overlooked in today's churches. Sometimes churches inadvertently do or say hurtful things to single (no pun intended) them out, and we would all be wise to do a little check-up to ensure we're ministering to and meeting the needs of this important demographic in our churches.

Main takeaway: Singles aren't weird or broken or misfits, and they need to be included and welcomed in our churches.

Lisa Anderson is the Director of Young Adults at Focus on the Family, and she's also the host of the Boundless Show, their prolific podcast with nearly 700 (!) episodes. Lisa is a ton of fun and a wealth of knowledge on this important topic. 

Enjoy this final episode of 2020 and we'll see you next year! 

Gavin and Micah are leaders on staff at Axiom Church in Peoria, Arizona. Their church plant has seen a lot of success in recent years because of their desire to remain authentic and reach out to people who may otherwise feel left out of the traditional church. 

Gavin and Micah are artists, and that artistic soul reveals itself in the culture at Axiom. Your church may not look or sound like theirs, but we can all learn from their desire to lead from their true selves. Our communities sense that authenticity, and leading from that space will be an appealing way to display the love of Jesus.

Be encouraged and inspired!