SEEN was written for parents, youth pastors, small group leaders, mentors, and anyone who works with kids or teens. Authors Will Hutcherson and Chinwe Williams wrote it with the intention of providing practical tools to help kids and teens who are experiencing despair and anxiety.

Will Hutcherson has been a Next Gen and Student Pastor for over 15 years. Over the past several years he has become increasingly passionate about finding practical ways to bring hope to kids and teens who are facing increasing amounts of anxiety, depression, and despair. This led to him starting Curate Hope, a non-profit that focuses on suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and partnering with schools, churches, and parents to help heal despair in teens. Will seeks to build a bridge between the local church and the schools and families that are navigating this mental health crisis. He lives in Florida with his wife and their three kids.

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A big thanks to Kevin for seeing Will as the next generation and raising him up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

What is worship? How do we come to worship? How do we craft a worship service? What does God have to say about worship? Rev. Dr. Constance Cherry addresses all these questions and more in her book The Worship Architect and on the show today!

Dr. Cherry is an experienced professor, worship leader, musician, and pastor, having served in local church ministry and academic teaching positions for more than forty-five years. She spends her time equipping present and future generations of worship architects through conference speaking, teaching in various academic settings, webinars, writing books and articles, and producing a variety of worship resources of all types.

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A big shout out to Robert for seeing Constance as the next generation and raising her up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

The digital age is in the business of commodifying our attention. The technologies of our day are determined to keep us scrolling and swiping at all costs, plugged into a feedback loop of impatience, comparison, outrage, and contempt. Blind to the dangers, we enjoy its temporary pleasures, unaware of the damage to our souls. Analog Church explores the ways the digital age and its values affect the life of the church. In Analog Christian, he asks the same question of Christian discipleship.

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A big shout out to James for seeing Jay as the next generation and raising him up!

Music: Jordan Robson and Zeke Friedeman

As culture warriors divide the world into us and them—fracturing families, friendships, and churches—most of us long for an end to the constant fighting. Jesus lived in a culture split by tribalism, but he resisted its allure by choosing something bigger: truth. He’s now inviting you to apply his ancient path to the modern culture war. In Truth Over Tribe, you will learn how tribalism makes your life miserable, how to lovingly resist when a tribe demands your allegiance, how to heal relationships fractured by tribalism, and how to unite diverse communities. How would your community change if you became a catalyst for Christlike unity? Rejecting tribalism is the first step.

Patrick Miller graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary and oversees digital ministries at The Crossing. He has written for The Gospel Coalition and Christianity Today, offers cultural commentary on the podcast Truth Over Tribe, and teaches on Ten Minute Bible Talks. In October 2022 Patrick co-authored a book by the same name: Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, not the Donkey or the Elephant. Patrick is married to Emily, and they have two kids.

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A big shout out to Patrick's youth pastor Dave who saw him as the next generation and raised him up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

Your God is Too Safe shows how the majority of Christians begin their spiritual journey with excitement and enthusiasm -- only to get bogged down in a "borderland" -- an in-between space beyond the "old life" but short of the abundant, adventurous existence promised by Jesus. Citing Jonah, Mark Buchanan examines the problem of "borderland living" -- where doubt, disappointment, guilt, and wonderlessness keep people in a quagmire of mediocrity -- then offers solutions ... effective ways to get unstuck and move into a bold, unpredictable, exhilarating walk with Christ.

Mark Buchanan is a pastor, author, speaker, and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Ambrose University. He has a great line in the bio: “My goal in life is to be a saint, but I often have to settle, simply, for not complaining while carrying out the trash or getting stuck in traffic. I take all the small victories I can get.” Along with Your God is Too Safe, Mark has a number of other books including his most recent: God Walk…Moving at the Speed of Your Soul.

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A big thanks to LeRoy for seeing Mark as the next generation and raising him up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

Real-Life Discipleship explains what should happen in the life of every Christian and in every small group so that the church becomes an army of believers dedicated to seeing the world saved. Discover what the Bible says about true and effective discipleship with these strategies and practices.

Jim Putman is the co-founder and Senior Pastor of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. Prior to his role as senior pastor, he served as a youth minister in two small churches. Jim is also a co-founder and leader with the Relational Discipleship Network. He has authored multiple books including The Revolutionary Disciple, his newest book The Disciple’s Journey, and the topic of our conversation for today: Real-Life Discipleship. Jim’s passion is discipleship centered on following the teachings and methodologies of Jesus and his writing, teaching, and mentoring reflect that.

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A big thanks to Jim's parents, Doug, Dan, Bill, and a host of others who see him as the next generation and raise him up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

What is the relationship between artificial intelligence, robots, and theology? The connections are much closer than one might think. There is a deep spiritual longing in the world of AI and robotics. Technology is a prayer; it reveals the depth of our eschatology. Through the study of AI and robotic literature one can see a clear desire to both transcend human limitations and overcome the fallenness of human nature. The questions of ethics, power, and responsibility are not new to Christian anthropology. This book will introduce and examine some of the major ethical issues surrounding current AI and robotic technology from a theological and philosophical lens. In the study of AI and robot ethics, the Christian community has a chance to join the global efforts to build technology for good. 

Joshua K. Smith is a theologian and pastor researching the ethics of AI and robotics. He is the co-chair of the Kirby Laing Centre’s Technology Hub. He has a Ph.D. in theology and his dissertation focused on a critique of Robotic Futurism and the potential of dehumanization. He is the author of multiple books and his book Robot Theology is the topic of our conversation today.

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A big shout out to Bruce for seeing Joshua as the next generation and raising him up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

Rosaria Butterfield's story is too long to share in a short introduction but her book The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert details her difficult journey. I’d highly encourage you to go check that out. She is a world-renowned speaker and her second book Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ, addresses questions of sin, identity, and repentance that she often encounters during speaking engagements.

In The Gospel Comes with a Housekey, Rosaria Butterfield invites us into her home to show us how God can use this same “radical, ordinary hospitality” to bring the gospel to our lost friends and neighbors. Such hospitality sees our homes as not our own, but as God’s tools for the furtherance of his kingdom as we welcome those who look, think, believe, and act differently from us into our everyday, sometimes messy lives―helping them see what true Christian faith really looks like.

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A big shout out to Ken, Floy, and Kent for seeing Rosaria as the next generation and raising her up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis, in the first psalm, on the first page of the New Testament, and on the last page of Revelation. The Bible’s wisdom is referred to as a tree of life. Every major biblical character and every major theological event has a tree marking the spot. A tree was the only thing that could kill Jesus—and the only thing Jesus ever harmed. Reforesting Faith is the rare book that builds bridges by connecting those who love the Creator with creation and those who love creation with the Creator. 

Formerly an ER doctor and chief of medical staff, Dr. Sleeth is author and speaker, primarily around the topics of faith and health. Dr. Sleeth’s books include Serving God, Saving the Planet, 24/6 which is a book on Sabbath, and his newest book Hope Always which addresses the important topic of mental health and suicide (see S1, E2 of this podcast for a conversation about that)! He is also the director of Blessed Earth, an organization whose mission is to inspire faithful stewardship of creation. Dr. Sleeth and his wife Nancy live in Lexington, KY.

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Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman

Reading Scripture is essential to one's personal spiritual health. Whether you are new to the Bible or have been reading it faithfully for decades, Dr. Guthrie's book is a clear and concise roadmap for reading God’s Word well and will equip you to open God’s Word with intention, purpose, and context every time, so that you may see God transform your hearts and minds as you read.

Dr. George H. Guthrie is Professor of New Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a passion for equipping church leaders and laypeople to read and love the Bible more effectively. George and his wife Pat live in Vancouver where they are called to teaching, mentoring, hospitality, and a bit of gardening and fly fishing. They have two grown children, Joshua and Anna.

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A big shout out to Dr. Guthrie's dad for seeing him as the next generation and raising him up!

Music: Jordan Robson with Zeke Friedeman