In this festive and hilarious year-end episode, John welcomes Executive Pastor Josef Klam to close out 2025 with a conversation full of humor, honesty, and heart. From family traditions to church logistics to the emotional weight of changing long-held rituals, this episode dives into why Christmas is both magical and mildly chaotic for pastors and why it still matters so deeply.

John and Joseph swap stories about Christmases past, what happens when a printer accidentally mails last year’s Christmas Eve service times (yes, including the nonexistent 9 PM service), and how sacred rhythms get disrupted and sometimes healed over time. They explore the grief that can accompany change, the beauty of new seasons in the church, and the hilarious realities of ministry life, including late-night toy assembly, drum sets for toddlers, and why Santa is absolutely still real.

This week on Pod Have Mercy, John sits down with friend and community favorite Joel Moore, also known to many as the “Gratitude Guru.” Joel shares his journey through addiction recovery, personal transformation, and the development of a powerful daily gratitude practice that has reshaped his mental, spiritual, and emotional life.

Joel opens up about building businesses, walking through recovery, and the surprising moment he realized that productivity alone couldn’t create contentment. What followed was the creation of his Gratitude Framework, a blend of morning and evening practices designed to increase awareness, purpose, intentionality, and resilience in everyday life.

From neuroscience to spiritual disciplines, from surrender to joy, Joel explains how gratitude has rewired his mindset and transformed his relationships, especially within his family. He also shares how he’s expanding the practice online through his daily gratitude posts and upcoming video series.

Connect with Joel:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjoelmoore

• Weekly Substack Newsletter: https://gratefuljoel.substack.com/

In this Thanksgiving episode, John and his brother Matt return to the studio to talk about family memories, hilarious holiday traditions, and all the things people probably should and should not say at the Thanksgiving table. From childhood oyster stories to smoked turkeys, family dynamics, awkward comments, and the stress some people feel going into the holidays, this episode is an honest, warm, and funny look at what Thanksgiving is really like for many families.

John and Matt share their favorite childhood Thanksgiving memories, stories from their grandparents’ house, and the unforgettable oyster moment that has followed Matt for decades. They talk about the topics families often try to avoid like politics, religion in certain situations, past grievances, food and body comments, and the pressure around kids and grandkids. Their conversation blends real pastoral insight with humor, honesty, and relatable family moments.

They also explore how to keep the peace at the table, how to create a healthier holiday atmosphere, how to handle tense family dynamics, and why kindness, patience, and gratitude matter more than anything else during the holidays. Between Paul Hollywood look-alike jokes, Texas vs Georgia barbecue debates, and stories about hunting, cooking, and family traditions, this episode captures the spirit of Thanksgiving in all its messy and meaningful reality.

If you need a break from your own family gathering, or you're preparing for the upcoming holiday weekend, this episode is the perfect escape.

Happy Thanksgiving from Pod Have Mercy.

In this special episode, John sits down with someone who knows him better than anyone - his brother, Pastor Matt Stephens, a Baptist preacher from their hometown of Columbus, Georgia. Together, they peel back the curtain on a question they get all the time:

“How did two brothers end up as pastors in two different denominations?”

Their warm, candid conversation explores:

• Growing up Methodist, shifting into Baptist life, and how each found their unique calling

• What ministry really looks like behind the scenes (hint: it’s not endless theological debates)

• How holiday gatherings actually go in the Stephens family

• Stories about their mother (who makes a guest appearance off-camera with hand signals)

• The daily realities, frustrations, surprises, and joys of leading churches

• How Matt is revitalizing multiple congregations across Columbus, GA

• Why church revitalization matters now more than ever

It’s a funny, heartfelt, down-to-earth episode about faith, family, calling, and what ministry looks like when the cameras are off and the holidays roll around.

Make sure to like, subscribe, and share, especially if you’re listening from Columbus, Georgia!

In this wide-ranging and deeply honest conversation, Matt Russell sits down with The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, the ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, to explore what it means to live faithfully in an age marked by polarization, digital noise, and spiritual disconnection.

Drawing from his background as an artist, pastor, author, and public theologian, Bishop Doyle reflects on:

• How technology forms—and often malforms—our imaginations

• Why embodied community, nature, and real relationships matter more than ever

• The difference between charity and justice

• The church’s calling to offer a different imagination than the culture around us

• Why leaning into community, mercy, and service changes us

• How discipleship must evolve in a world facing inequality, climate pressures, and isolation

He also shares stories from his newest book Unabashed Faith, reflects on reconciliation, creativity, and public theology, and even talks Jeeps, camping, and the spirituality of being outdoors.

This episode is a hopeful, challenging, and grounding invitation to imagine a new way forward—one rooted in mercy, dignity, justice, and the presence of Christ in the everyday.

Learn more about Bishop Doyle:
https://www.epicenter.org/about/the-diocese/bishops/the-rt-rev-c-andrew-doyle-ix-bishop-of-texas/

In this episode of Pod Have Mercy, John Stephens and Joseph Patty dive into a surprising new Barna study revealing that parents and church leaders don’t agree on who should take the lead in discipling children.

Should faith formation primarily happen at home or in the church? John and Joseph unpack the data, explore why many parents feel unequipped to talk about faith, and discuss what a true partnership between families and the church could look like.

From “dry cleaner youth ministry” to the importance of everyday discipleship, they reflect on how parents can model authentic faith and how the church can better support them along the way.

Is Halloween harmless fun, a spiritual battleground, or something in between?

In this episode of Pod Have Mercy, John Stephens sits down with Joseph Patty, Director of Student Ministries at Chapelwood, for a thoughtful (and often funny) conversation about how people of faith can approach Halloween with nuance and grace.

From animism and All Saints’ Day to trick-or-treating and Dia de los Muertos, they explore how Christians can honor the past, engage the present, and teach the next generation to see light in the midst of shadows. Along the way, they unpack the thin veil between life and death, share stories of family traditions, and ask what it really means to be “faithfully present” in our culture.

Whether you’re turning off the porch light or heading out for Trunk or Treat, this episode will help you see the holiday and the holy days that surround it with new eyes.

In this episode of Pod Have Mercy, we unpack a powerful reflection inspired by Russell Moore’s article on “gravity” - the lost virtue of being sober-minded and serious in a culture obsessed with noise, reaction, and silliness.

We explore what it means to lead with gravity - a blend of clarity, maturity, and responsibility that holds steady when the world demands instant opinions and outrage. From George Washington to TikTok culture, from pastoral leadership to personal growth, they ask: how do we reclaim the weightiness of character in an age of distraction?

Join the conversation as they reflect on Scripture, personal stories, and what it means to be grown-ups in the room again.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/newsletter/archive/moore-to-the-point-10-08-2025/

What does it mean to be dangerously tired - emotionally, spiritually, and physically? In this episode of Pod Have Mercy, John Stephens, Matt Russell, and Geoff Wood unpack the ancient wisdom of Sabbath as more than a rule - it's a divine invitation to rest, resist compulsion, and reclaim our humanity.

Drawing from the Desert Fathers, Barbara Brown Taylor, and Henry Nouwen, they explore what happens when we ignore our limits and how practicing Sabbath can help us recover joy, trust, and freedom from the tyranny of “always doing.”

If you’ve ever found yourself weary, restless, or unable to slow down, this conversation might be the reminder your soul has been waiting for.

In this episode, we sit down with Russell J. Levenson, Jr. to dig into his latest work, Witness to Belief: Conversations on Faith and Meaning. Together, we explore the heart behind the book, how it came to be, what compelled him to write it, and how his pastoral journey shaped each conversation within.

We discuss:

• The origin of Witness to Belief and what sparked Russ’s decision to interview twelve public figures on faith. Over the Mountain Journal+2PublishersWeekly.com+2

• His approach to these conversations: as a pastor, not merely an interviewer. Over the Mountain Journal

• How he selected subjects (from Denzel Washington to Nikki Haley, Jim Nantz to Jane Goodall) and the diversity of spiritual paths represented. 

• Memorable stories from the book:
   • Denzel Washington asking to begin and end the interview with prayer.
   • Amy Grant sharing how, after a brain injury, she now sings scripture instead of reciting it.
   • Brit Hume’s reflections on loss and faith, Jim Nantz’s journey with his father’s Alzheimer’s PublishersWeekly.com
   • Admiral McRaven wrestling with the tension between military duty and Christian moral imperatives.

• Behind-the-scenes of writing: how Russ prepared, how he built trust, and how he balanced theological depth with accessibility.

• What it meant to him personally, how these conversations shaped his own faith and pastoral perspective.

• How readers can approach the book: what to look for, how to engage with the stories, and what impact he hopes it might have.

If you’ve ever wondered how faith lives out in public life, or how deeply personal belief intersects with leadership, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Book Links & References

• Witness to Belief: Conversations on Faith and Meaning — Morehouse Publishing page ChurchPublishing.org+1

• Witness to Belief on Amazon Amazon+1

• Witness to Belief on Target Target

• Announcements / profile of the book from Over the Mountain Journal Over the Mountain Journal

• Publisher’s Weekly review of Witness to Belief PublishersWeekly.com