Today I interview artist and speaker Makoto Fuijmura. Our discussion focuses primarily on his book Culture Care and the valuable lessons and questions that can arise from the content.

In this episode of Off the Wire I interview the president of Blackaby Ministries International in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Richard Blackaby. Together we discuss the topic of spiritual leadership and what is necessary for successful leadership. Dr. Blackaby gives great advice on how to resist pride, focus on God, and be successful in one's leadership progress.

In this episode I interview Dr. Kirk Wellum, the principal of Toronto Baptist seminary and Bible College in Toronto, Canada. We discuss the challenges of ministry and how that affects the time before seminary, after seminary, and during one's ministry. We also dive into the difficulties of today that are presented to use through the media, technology and entertainment and how Christians can handle the worldly ideas and concepts that are constantly being thrown at us.

Dr. Luke Stamps is a much-beloved professor of theology at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina. In this episode we talk about the fact that salvation is intended to save the whole person--body and soul. Too often people of faith can draw a distinction between the physical and spiritual.

We talk about the need to have a full-orbed view of both the person (individually) and the church (corporately). In a culture and time where much of the Christian life is marked by experience, the church is intended to shape. The Church seeks to form people into men and women into people who look and sound and act like Jesus...and not merely show up on a Sunday morning experience.

Dr. Haykin is a first-rate historian that has dedicated his life to making the practice and teaching of the early church practical. Michael was a full-fledged follower of Marxism and was dramatically converted through the faithful witness of believers.

We cover topics of the early church, the rich history of Baptists, the call for parents to disciple their children.

Dr. Stephen Wellum, Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Editor of The Southern Baptist Theological Journal, discusses how he came to faith, how theology changed his life, how to do apologetics, and his hopes for the future of theological education.

In this first episode, Matt lays out the groundwork for Off the Wire. We all have a theology. We all have thoughts about God--even as basic as to whether he exists or not. Whether he's a he or something else. Whether he's involved in the world or let's it spin like a top. The question is how do we formulate our thoughts about God.

It is vitally important for us to have a clear method for how we think about God. In this episode, Matt helps draw out specific ways we can form our theology so that our lives are affected by our knowledge.

We learn that theology must always lead to doxology. Our thoughts affect our actions. Love of God always leads to love of others.

In this episode Matt shares his story of how he came to faith in Jesus. From struggling silently with depression and suicide to learning what it means to walk as a child of God, he let's you peak inside what makes him him.

Every book and podcast is informed by the story of its author and speaker. It is important to know Matt's story to know what is informing Off the Wire.

Sit down with some popcorn and a beverage and see if you like what you hear. If you don't, please don't tell Matt. Haha!

In this first episode, Matt shares why he started Off the Wire. There are a lot of really great podcasts out in the world. Oftentimes these podcasts can either lean on theology and not have a lot of practice built into it. Other podcasts are heavy on the practical without a lot of theological grounding.

The Christian life is marked by theology and doxology. They are two sides to the same coin of devotion. If we are doing theology rightly, we will always be led right living. Right knowledge of God, by its nature, always leads to a changed life. If our lives aren't changed, then we haven't truly understood.