In this episode of TGC’s Behind the Song, Brett McCracken interviews Tenielle Neda about her journey to faith and writing music that can influence other people’s faith. From a farm in Australia to Australian Idol to an internship at her brother’s church and a very cool job (teaser), her uncommon story has shaped the trajectory of her life and perspective on writing and performing devotional music to nourish the church. Tenielle discusses her deeply gospel-centered songs and the important role they play simply helping people remember the glorious truths of Scripture that need to be remembered.

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In this “Behind the Song” episode of the TGC Podcast, Brett McCracken interviews Poor Bishop Hooper—Jesse and Leah Roberts—about their EveryPsalm project, which releases a new song each week, one for each Psalm. An already ambitious 3-year project became even more so when, only a few months after launch, the world was shaken by a global pandemic. But the sovereign timing of the project unexpectedly worked for good, creating a hymnal of hope and comfort for listeners in a world that seemed to be falling apart. In the interview, the duo addresses the origins of their project and what it takes for a married couple with young children to continually muster the creative energy to create for this ongoing work of art for the church.

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Scott Sauls led a session at the 2021 TGC National Conference titled “Rising Above Cancel Culture with the Fruit of Gentleness.” Quoting the inimitable Mr. Rogers, he urged his listeners to move beyond the self-aggrandizing attitudes borne of the craziness of the last year and a half and greet one another, “I like you,” especially within the church. Instead of speaking over one another and canceling people with whom we disagree, he taught, we can—and must—love one another enough to address the issues that concern us while still fully valuing others as those made in the image of God. 

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John Onwuchekwa led a session at the 2021 TGC National Conference titled “The Christian’s Patience” from Hebrews chapter 11.

Defining hope as “the feeling that the feeling you have right now isn't permanent,” Onwuchekwa reminded listeners of its importance while also encouraging us to guard against the idea that identifying Christ as our source of hope is the end of the journey. Hope inherently assumes waiting, and we’re not great at that practice; practice doesn’t make us better at it. Onwuchekwa focuses on one truth to empower and equip his listeners—God’s people will constantly be waiting, but we must not worry while we do.

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Betsy Childs Howard led a discussion with Suzanne Bates, Courtney Reissig, and Kristin Wetherell in a breakout session at the TGC 2021 Women’s Conference titled “Steadfast Hope in an Anxious World.” 

They addressed different types of anxiety, the notion that anxiety is sin, scriptural vs. sinful responses to anxiety, anxiety as spiritual warfare, and medical treatments for anxiety, among other topics. They offered specific and practical hope for women struggling with anxiety, encouraging them to remember that they are not alone in the fight.

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Speaking primarily from his own traumatic experiences and pastoring others through their own, Matthew Spandler-Davidson led a workshop for pastors at the 2021 TGC National Conference titled “How the Cross Offers Healing for Victims of Abuse.” 

Having both experienced and seen abuse as a child—from beatings to rape to being smothered with a pillow—he was left shy, insecure, bitter, angry, and self-centered. It was through the care of a rugged fisherman with a thick Scottish accent, a glass eye, and a long beard that he was introduced to the Bible and the gospel broke into his stubborn, dead, and cold heart. Hope was stirred as Christ and his church became a refuge for his weary soul, and he worked to create the same for other victims when he became a pastor. Spandler-Davidson enumerated three ways churches can become a hope-giving refuge for victims of abuse and several ways to ensure that your church can be a place of safety for the vulnerable and healing for the hurting.

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New Testament patterns clearly show that the normal practice of the church is to meet for embodied acts of corporate worship and mutual edification. - Matt Merker

Matt Merker led a workshop at the 2021 TGC National Conference titled “Gathered by God’s Grace” to encourage pastors as they move toward assembling in more traditional ways after tight guidelines from the pandemic are loosened. He walked through the gathering of God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments, focusing on how they informed two particular ideas:

• Why gathering is so essential for the life of the church.
• Why it matters that God is the One who gathers us and works in our midst during our corporate worship.

“We serve a God who is not only powerful—not only does he have utter control of everything that's going on in our lives—but we serve one who has tasted death on our behalf.” – Alasdair Groves

Alasdair Groves taught a breakout session at TGC’s 2021 National Conference titled, “Nothing Outside His Control” as a response to the anxiety that is common to our human experience and amplified through current events.

Defining anxiety as “the reality that, in the fallen world, there will be suffering in our future,” Groves turned to Hebrews 2:7-9 to flesh out how we should address it. The passage of Scripture, he taught, clearly states that God is in full control of all things, but we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. Embracing those two truths and holding them in tension is key to rightly responding to anxiety in our lives.

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TGC hosted a panel discussion during the 2021 Women’s Conference titled “Motherhood and the Hope of the Gospel” with Christine Hoover, Trillia Newbell, Irene Sun, and Laura Wifler.

Against the backdrop of such a difficult last year for mothers everywhere dealing with the reality of pandemic-driven changes, the panel offered words of hope for those who are tired and weary. 

Mental health, emotional health, relational strain, and all sorts of suffering and struggle common to motherhood were addressed as each participant in the panel offered biblical and experiential wisdom to encourage mothers and point them continually to Christ and his Word.

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John Piper preached a message at TGC’s 2021 National Conference on “The Essential Achievement of Christ” from Hebrews 9:1-10:18. Through this text, Piper expounded upon six manifestations of Christ’s greatness, magnifying the central achievement—the removal of guilt—and the averting of the wrath of God from those who are in Christ Jesus.

He preached:

• Christ the Great Absence
• Christ the Great Achievement
• Christ the Great Accession
• Christ the Great Application
• Christ the Great Arrival
• Christ the Great Abundance

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