Almost 500 years ago, the Protestant Reformation began when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg chapel. What role does reformation play today in the Church and in our own Christian journeys?

This week Josh and Chris discuss the need to make a habit of personal reformation. Human beings are wired to develop habits in response to a changing and chaotic world. Habits help us organize our lives and simplify routine tasks. Habits can greatly benefit our spiritual lives when applied thoughtfully to our spiritual disciplines and church services. However, habits can become toxic when they keep us from growing, and our sinful natures can keep us from seeing it. Our lives and churches can become entrenched in outdated customs due to past experiences and traditions. Reformation reminds us to challenge our status quo in order to bring fresh perspective to our walk with Christ.

Resources Mentioned:

The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

Psalm 51

This week Josh and Chris talk about worship. What it means. How we do it. Why we do it. Worship is the ultimate expression of theology. The songs we sing influence the way we see God and live out our Christian lives. As such, we need more worship leaders who intentionally write worship songs that accurately represent the gospel and give words to the congregation to respond to what God has done in the world.

All Christians must take care to consider the words we sing and the meaning they portray so that our worship is authentic and meaningful for the occasion. If we are in a public worship service, our songs should reflect the corporate nature of the body of Christ. If we are privately seeking the face of God, our worship will take on other characteristics.

Resources Mentioned:

Worship as the Beginning and Ending of Theology - Jonathan Watson

When Worship Lyrics Miss the Mark - John Piper

Lord I Need You

Oceans

How would you respond to someone asking you this question? It’s not usually something we give much thought to in the Church. We typically either instinctively respond with a resounding, “NO!” or we refuse to engage the question altogether.

This week Ryan Harris helps us walk through this question. Ryan grew up in conservative church as a pastor’s kid, attended Bible college and later seminary. At the age of 13, when most boys began to feel attracted to girls, he began to feel an attraction to other boys. Growing up in the church, he knew the negative attitude the church held towards gay people, some of which were downright ignorant. So for the next decade of his life he struggled with shame and fear. It wasn’t until recently when God intervened in his story that led Ryan down a path of coming out about his same-sex attraction. Through this process God is using Ryan to build relationships with others in the LGBTQ community so that the gospel may be preached to a group of people the church has, by in large, abandoned.

Ryan’s story will help you learn how to approach others who are different from you with the gospel. His call to see people instead of issues is one all in the Church need to take to heart as we learn to love one another and work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Resources:

Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill

Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian by Wesley Hill

http://middletreechurch.com/

Dr. Mark Hausfeld has over 20 years of experience building relationships with and ministering to Muslim peoples. He has lived in Pakistan, been president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and now heads the Center for Islamic Studies, a ministry dedicated to training Christians workers to minister to Muslims all over the world. Dr. Hausfeld shares with us the lessons he’s learned on his own journey from being called to a Muslim country to now working with Muslim refugees and immigrants in the United States. This episode will give you insight into the Muslim context and you walk away with some very practical tips on how to begin engaging with your Muslim friends and neighbors.

Full Bio:

Dr. Mark Hausfeld currently serves as an Assemblies of God World missionary with Global Initiative: Reaching Muslim Peoples and the Assemblies of God Europe region as a consultant for Muslim immigrants and refugees.

Dr. Mark Hausfeld was president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri on July 1, 2015, until May 15, 2017. He has more than thirty years of pastoral and missionary experience, both in the United States and abroad. He has a passion for developing creative access evangelism. His focus has centered on discipleship and church planting in urban settings in North America and restricted contexts in Central Asia and far-reaching global Muslim communities and reaching diaspora Muslim peoples in the United States and Europe.

Mark has served as the seminary’s director of the Center for Islamic Studies since June of 2010. From 2007 to 2015, he served as associate professor of Urban and Islamic Studies and earned professorship in 2015. During the 2007-2008 academic year, he was the second J. Philip Hogan Chair of World Missions at AGTS. His three Hogan lectures and monograph focused on Islam in America: Reaching Diaspora Muslims through the Local Church. He currently serves as professor of Urban and Islamic Studies at AGTS.

From 2000 to 2008, Mark served as the Area Director for Central Eurasia. In this role, he provided pastoral care, strategic consultation, and administration for missionaries and national leaders in the region.

Mark and his wife, Lynda, served as AGWM missionaries in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 1995-2001. During that time, they started Teen Challenge Pakistan and assisted in two indigenous church plants. Prior to becoming AGWM missionaries, Mark pioneered and pastored an inner city, multi-cultural church on the south-side of Chicago for ten years.

Dr. Hausfeld received his Bachelors of Arts from Evangel University, a Masters of Divinity from AGTS, and a Doctor of Ministry (Urban Missions) from Northern Theological Seminary.

Resources Mentioned:

The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Hour That Changes the World: A Practical Plan for Personal Prayer, by Dick Eastman

Prayer, by O. Hallesby

Humility, by Andrew Murray

Global Initiative - http://reachingmuslimpeoples.com

http://muslimsask.com

http://sayhelloinfo.com

http://agts.edu

Sometimes it’s tough to follow God’s call on your life. We spend a lot of time trying to figure it out and find the “right” path to take. Could this be something we make more complicated than it should be?

This week Jeremy White talks with us about his journey from growing up in church to leading a ministry at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. We also had a chance to talk about the difficulties of preaching the gospel in a secular university, including how conservative doctrine ministers to a liberal worldview in a college setting.

Jeremy and his wife Tiffani have been in ministry for six years, the last four of which have been spent pioneering the Chi Alpha ministry at Drake.

Resources:

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

https://www.chialpha.com/

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at Drake University on Facebook

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Today we welcome back missionary, author, and friend Stephen Kuert. Stephen has written two new books since the last time we talked with him and they may be some of his best work yet. We talk about his missionary journey, the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering us for mission, his practice of spiritual disciplines and why God demands fruitfulness from us, not just faithfulness. This episode will inspire and challenge you to seek to become the person God has called you to be. But that process doesn’t happen overnight. Growth is a process and we have to learn to listen for and obey the voice of the Lord each and every day.

Resources Mentioned:

How to Build Relationships Like Jesus Did – Stephen Kuert – Ep 056

Stephen Kuert’s Author Bio Page on Amazon

Missionary, By Stephen Kuert

Jonathan Barthalow is lead pastor of Crosspoint Church in Waverly, Iowa. He holds a BA from Central Bible College and a Masters of Organizational Leadership from Evangel University. He and his wife, Erica Barthalow, have been childrens/youth/worship pastors, missionaries to India, Chi Alpha directors, and have now moved in to lead pastoring.

Jonathan and Erica have journeyed through many different seasons of life and have grown closer to God through each new challenge. This entire process has taught Jonathan that his identity isn’t primarily wrapped up in his ministry title, but instead in who he is a child of God. Listen as Jonathan shares life lessons, his heart for the lost, and discovers that ministry is a journey, not a destination.

Resources Mentioned:

Ready, Set Grow!: Three Conversations That Will Bring Lasting Growth to Your Church, by Scott Wilson

Holy Doubt: Finding Hope When Faith is a Struggle, by Erica Barthalow

The God I Never Knew: How Real Friendship with The Holy Spirit Can Change Your Life, by Robert Morris

If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities, by Mark Batterson

https://ericabarthalow.com/

http://www.crosspointwaverly.com/

This week Chris and Josh talk about how we should read Scripture and the results of reading the Bible with a narrow lens. We are all biased because we each have unique experiences, expectations, and cultural perspectives that shape our worldviews and how we interpret Scripture. If you prefer the world to be “black and white, yes or no” then you are likely to struggle when someone challenges your beliefs or you read something in Scripture that seems to contradict what you thought to be true. But this doesn’t have to be the case if we embrace doubt as a pathway to faith. You can experience a deeper relationship with God when you embrace that there are other ways to view the world from the way you currently do. This will allow you to make stronger connections with others with whom you disagree and give you the opportunity to authentically serve them as the hands and feet of Christ.

Resources Mentioned:

Race Relations in the Church - Dan Morrison - Ep 047

The Value of Biblical History - Mark Jenkins - Ep 048

Feminism, Gender Equality, and the Church - Aarin Wilson - Ep 060

Faith Starts at Home - Amy Reasoner - Ep 066

Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars

Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence by Greg Boyd

This week we talk about the spiritual discipline of journaling and how the Daily Growth Journal can help you grow in Christ in just 10 minutes a day. Chris opens up about his mother’s suicide and describes how this discipline has helped him walk through this dark time in his life. He’s learned that no matter how difficult life gets, we can choose to be grateful and find joy in the presence of God every day.

We discuss how God has used the Daily Growth Journal to help him grow through this difficult season of life and develop a greater sense of identity in Christ, rediscover his calling, and become more mindful of God’s presence in his life. Through this conversation, we agree that journaling is one of the greatest investments we can make in our spiritual lives.

Resources:

Pre-Order the Daily Growth Journal

How to Connect Sunday Worship to Monday Work with Dr. Charlie Self

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney

The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg

The Royal Revolution: Fresh Perspectives on the Cross by NT Wright

The Call by Os Guinness

David Lermy has worked in the corporate, education, church, and the nonprofit world. He currently runs a non-profit organization in Taney County, MO that feeds more than 1,200 kids each weekend and has spent more than 18 years in ministry. David and his wife have encountered many obstacles in their lives and have learned to rely on the Lord no matter how difficult life gets. David’s wife was diagnosed with cancer four days before they got married and David is currently living with a degenerative bone disease. The Lord has brought them through each and every trying circumstance. David now shares what he has learned through the process on his blog Leading Happy. He believes that no matter how difficult life becomes, we can find joy in the midst of the storms of life. David has learned what it means to walk in God’s grace and he shares many of his insights and experiences with us today. He’s an avid reader who loves to pass on what he’s learning to help people become better leaders and followers of Christ.

David holds a degree in Biblical Studies and Languages from Evangel University and a graduate degree in organizational leadership from Liberty University. He is currently working towards doctoral work in the area of renewal studies dealing with community transformation at Regent University.

Resources mentioned:

Yearning: Living Between How It Is & How It Ought to Be by M.Craig Barnes

Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future by Andy Stanley

The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions by Jeff Manion

Developing the Leaders Around You: How to Help Others Reach Their Full Potential by John Maxwell

Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg

Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg

Connect with David at:

Leadinghappy.com

https://www.facebook.com/davidmlermy