The Common Good Podcast

Adam Holz of Plugged In rejoins Brian From after several weeks away. He shares that a kidney tumor removed in surgery turned out to be benign despite a 90 percent chance it was malignant, but a septic infection put him back in the hospital. He reflects on how suffering can deepen our compassion for others, including people who are sick or injured in war zones. Then it’s on to the movies. Adam describes Whale Fall, a survival thriller about a diver swallowed by a sperm whale while searching for his father’s body, with unavoidable echoes of Jonah. He offers a quick take on The Social Reckoning, an R-rated follow-up to The Social Network about the legal case against Facebook, and notes yet another Sense and Sensibility adaptation. He closes with Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul, a Portuguese-language Brazilian remake of the Kendrick Brothers’ 2003 film about a dishonest used-car salesman transformed by faith.

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Brian From opens with a study linking walking to better mental health in teens, a good reminder for all of us. In a vulnerable moment, he admits that hearing about a hardship faced by someone who hurt him brought him a flash of satisfaction, and he reflects on what that reveals about unfinished forgiveness. He wrestles with senseless tragedies, including a father killed on a roller coaster and a Wheaton College freshman struck by a train, and points to the nearness and ultimate victory of Christ. He shares John Piper’s answer to a mother with a disability who feels she can’t measure up to Proverbs 31, and Nancy Guthrie’s reflection on longing to behold Jesus face to face. Brian applauds an Oregon Catholic high school for removing a football coach who called an onside kick while leading 57–0, and considers a report that the “American Dream” now costs $5.3 million. He condemns online cruelty toward philanthropist Susan Dell and reflects on Billy Crystal’s honest admission that tragedy has cost him his trust in God. He closes with Paul’s call in Philippians 1:27 to live worthy of the gospel and a GC Discipleship article arguing that God is more happy than harsh.

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Brian From sits down with Susana Sharp of Impact Latin America, an interdenominational ministry that partners with more than 35 denominations in about 20 nations to train ordinary men and women to share the gospel outside church walls. Susana explains the ministry’s model of prayer-led outreach and “Houses of Peace,” informal gatherings in homes, gardens, basketball courts, and even beaches, where non-believers encounter Jesus and new leaders are raised up. Since 2019, more than 15,000 people have come to faith, and some gatherings have multiplied to a seventh generation. Susana, a native of the Dominican Republic, tells how a House of Peace helped transform Cienfuegos, once one of the country’s most dangerous neighborhoods. She also tells of a former drug user in Costa Rica who now leads a surfer house church that reaches tourists from around the world. She describes the ministry’s “head, heart, and hands” approach to training, mentoring, and accountability, and what American churches can learn from it. Brian invites listeners to give at 1160Hope.com, where $10 provides discipleship and Bible resources for one new believer.

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Brian From catches up with his former college roommate Ben Reaoch and Ben’s wife, Stacy, about their new book, The Word in Our Home: A Family Plan for Exploring Every Book in the Bible. The project began as a vision of Ben’s mother, Barb, a Bible Study Fellowship children’s curriculum writer who had a book proposal ready when she was diagnosed with cancer. Before she died two years ago, she walked Ben through her files so he and Stacy could finish it. They describe how editing her work felt like hearing her voice again, and how they wrote new devotions in her style. The book offers 10-to-15-minute readings that walk families from Genesis to Revelation. To parents who feel guilty or unprepared, the Reaochs encourage them to start small, be honest, not worry about having every answer, and remember that God’s grace lets every family start fresh. Ben also shares what he loves about pastoring in the Pittsburgh area.

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Brian From comes off a beautiful homecoming weekend reflecting on his church’s Bible reading class, where the cycle of judgment and hope in Isaiah pointed him to the grace of Ephesians 2 and a God who doesn’t give up on us. He encourages married couples never to stop dating each other. He discusses a Christianity Today review of the PBS documentary Christianity at the Crossroads, including a projection that nearly 100,000 U.S. churches may close in the next decade, and argues that churches’ greatest need is a laser focus on preaching the gospel. He shares Randy Alcorn’s reflection that how we handle criticism is a test of our humility, then considers the complicated history behind Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In the second hour, Brian walks through Philippians 1: Paul’s prayer for the church and his conviction that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He shares Alan Noble’s thoughts on what the good life means for a Christian, and closes with a Charles Stanley devotional on how gratitude refocuses our attention, relieves anxiety, and strengthens our faith.

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Brian From talks with Pastors Warren Schilf and Donald Antor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine. Warren shares how he grew up in the church and its school, spent 20 years in business, and then answered a call to ministry. He returned as associate pastor before becoming senior pastor. He describes the joy of baptizing and marrying the children of families he’s known all his life, along with the challenge of leading people who still see him as “good old Warren.” Donald, who has served there for over a decade, describes a congregation founded in 1869 that is now baptizing a fifth or sixth generation of one family, and its outreach through community meals, a youth baseball and softball camp, and outdoor summer worship. Both pastors share their hope that members will make disciples naturally in everyday life. They also highlight the church’s volunteer-run Good Samaritan Ministry, which offers crisis financial help, a food and clothing pantry, and guidance to neighbors who are struggling.

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Brian From kicks off the weekend with a report that Halloween candy prices have jumped 71 percent in five years, along with near-$5 gas, and reminds listeners that contentment is found in Christ, not a bank account. He shares a study finding that sleeping with a dog doesn’t disrupt owners’ sleep, and Canada’s decision to exclude mental illness from its Medical Assistance in Dying program, which he sees as a good step within a troubling system. He discusses a Gospel Coalition piece arguing that greed, not just lust, drove former worship leader Caleb Flynn to murder his wife. He challenges listeners to “reject apathy” in their faith, marriages, and work, and looks at American Bible Society data showing most Americans still believe in God and the supernatural even as church attendance falls. Brian also responds to the Pentagon’s plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, sharing Erick Erickson’s argument that public executions twist the soul. He closes with Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 and a call to expect God to do more than we can ask or imagine.

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Brian From talks with Tre Moore, who became senior pastor of Lakeland Church in Gurney, Illinois, a few months ago after years as a member and elder there. Tre tells how his predecessor asked him three times to consider succeeding him before he felt God’s call into ministry. He describes the best part of the job, a front-row seat to God changing lives, which he records on note cards to reread on hard days. He also describes the emotional whiplash of rejoicing and weeping with people in back-to-back meetings. Tre explains Lakeland’s mission to treasure Christ, value all people, and join God’s mission, and its focus on getting everyone into small groups and serving. About 70 percent of attenders are in a small group, and nearly a third began serving for the first time this year. He invites listeners to the church’s Fall Fest, and closes with encouragement from Jesus’ compassion for the grieving widow of Nain in Luke 7.

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Brian From talks with Dr. Deana Thayer, parenting and marriage specialist at Focus on the Family, about raising resilient kids. Deana argues that resilience isn’t bouncing back right away. It’s the ability to work through big feelings and come out more mature, even when that takes time. She explains why “snowplow parenting,” which clears every obstacle from a child’s path, works against resilience, and why modeling healthy ways to handle hard seasons matters. Deana lays out three steps for parenting with emotional intelligence: help children name their emotions, validate them, and give them appropriate ways to process those feelings, separating the feeling from the behavior. She describes what’s at stake when kids don’t learn this, from young adults who can’t handle setbacks to spouses who can’t manage conflict. She also offers guidance on when parents should step in or seek professional help, and reminds listeners that Jesus promised trouble in this world but also His presence through it.

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Brian From talks with pastor, nonprofit leader, and spiritual director Bobbie Schaeperkoetter about her new book, With God Every Day: A Flexible Framework for Spiritual Practice. Bobbie explains what a spiritual director actually does: less a counselor or problem-solver than a spiritual companion who helps people notice what God is doing in their lives. She walks through the book’s seven-step practice, built on spiritual disciplines from the life of Jesus and the early church, such as withdrawing to be alone with God, worship, gratitude, and reflecting on Scripture. Each step can be tailored to a reader’s personality and schedule and done in ten minutes or stretched to an hour. For anyone weighed down by guilt over failed quiet times, Bobbie offers a reminder that there is no condemnation in Christ and that God is always turned toward us, inviting relationship rather than keeping score. She also encourages using the practice in small groups and churches as well as alone.

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