The Echo Podcast

It's so easy to lose heart when our good deeds appear to not do any good. Thank the Lord for people like William Wilberforce, whose perseverance changed the world. 

“Wisdom is holding two contradictory truths in our mind, simultaneously, Hope and despair. A life without despair is a life without hope. Holding these two ideas in our head is life itself.” The film, "First Reformed," is about extremes: two very different churches, two very different pastors, two competing emotions, and two radically different paths forward. 

We all have a need to belong, to be wanted, to be loved. God made us this way. We'll talk about that and the delightful, emotional, new movie, "Hunt For Wilderpeople." 

We can't think of a worse situation: "Recant your faith or watch a whole village be tortured and killed." That's the terrible dilemma at the heart of the movie, "Silence." Whew. This is a tough one. 

Why does it feel as though time flies? How do you live when you've lost everything? What is the value of multigenerational relationships? The superb movie, Up, takes a deep dive into these profound questions. Not only does it make us cry and laugh. It makes us think. 

If you had the powers of God, how would you do? How would the world do? The hit movie, Bruce Almighty, takes a shot at answering this question with hilarious and thought-provoking results. We'll talk about this and why we love Morgan Freeman's role as God. 

Film can communicate in powerful ways. This summer we'll have some fun talking about movies that communicate a spiritual truth (even if that's not how they were marketed or intended). We'll begin the series by divulging our all-time favorite movies. 

Fights about social justice, CRT, and racial issues are dividing and harming the church. What if we viewed these topics not as battles to be fought but openings to share the Gospel? 

Karolyn Schrage serves as the Executive Director of the LifeChoices Health Network, Joplin, MO. Their groundbreaking work offers care to women in crisis pregnancies, people fearful of transmitted diseases, and victims of human trafficking. Their work is so excellent that state agencies are requesting their help with some of today's greatest challenges.

Before starting this work, Karolyn served for 20 years in Kenya. We were thrilled to ask her about her work, how the Bible informs her justice work, and how we can help. 

To learn more about their work, go here - https://lifechoices.org/

100 years ago, 35 blocks of Tulsa (known as Black Wall Street) were torched. Hundreds were killed or injured. Bodies, incriminating evidence, and news stories were hastily buried. As the city has just recently begun to address the massacre, competing voices can be heard. Some reject the idea that we should talk about racism or systematic injustice. Others say our primary identity is in the color of our skin. And then there's LeRon West! Pastor West has spent his life in Tulsa - as a kid, a fireman, and a pastor. He's experienced extreme racism in his own life, but has responded with Christlike grace. As the world descends upon Tulsa this weekend, this episode offers you a Biblically-informed way to process the past and take steps forward.