What If I'm Wrong?

In today’s episode Heather sits down with Karen González for part two of our four-part pod-class titled “Who Is My Neighbor?” If you’re joining us fresh, make sure to catch last week’s episode where we opened the series with Native American Bible translator Terry Wildman.

This week, Karen challenges us to question our positionality as we engage with the stories we love in Scripture. “We will discover that we’re not Joseph; we’re Egypt.”

Heather also chats with our favorite social media expert, Brady Shearer, for this week’s Social Toolkit. Brady explains why he believes social media is not just a tool for ministry; it is ministry.

Guest Bio

Karen González is the author of The God Who Sees. She is a speaker, writer, storyteller, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. Karen is a former public-school teacher and attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology. For the last 13 years, she has been a non-profit professional, currently working for an organization based in Baltimore, MD, that serves refugees and other immigrants. Her latest book is called Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in our Christian Response to Immigration.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is part one of “Who Is My Neighbor?,” our latest pod-class series on faithful discipleship and what it means to truly love our neighbor. And, in case you missed it, be sure to listen to last week’s episode, where Heather revisits the parable of the Good Samaritan and explains why she chose “Who Is My Neighbor?” as this month’s pod-class theme.

This week, Heather is joined by minister and Bible translator Terry M. Wildman to discuss Terry’s work on First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament, as well as the inherent challenges of communicating Christianity’s good news to a community of people who have been historically marginalized and abused by white Christian leaders.

The First Nations Version is a retelling of the Creator’s story—the Scriptures—following in the tradition of the storytellers of these oral cultures. Many First Nations tribes communicate with the cultural and linguistic thought patterns found in their original tongues. This way of speaking, with its striking beauty and rich cultural idioms, still resonates in the hearts of First Nations people. In his ministry, Terry demonstrates the power of understanding our neighbors’ cultural contexts so that we can connect with them in more caring and authentic ways.

But first, for this week’s Social Toolkit, Heather chats with author and Bible teacher Alexandra V. Hoover about how to be faithful and effective stewards of our social platforms. Her latest book is the bestselling Eyes Up: How to Trust God’s Heart by Tracing His Hand.

Guest Bio

Terry M. Wildman (Ojibwe and Taqui) is the lead translator, general editor, and project manager of the First Nations Version. He serves as the director of spiritual growth and leadership development for Native InterVarsity. He is also the founder of Rain Ministries, and has previously served as a pastor and worship leader. He and his wife Darlene, live in Arizona.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode Heather explains why she chose “Who Is My Neighbor?” as the subject for our next four-part, pod-class series, which starts next week. To help set the tone, Heather walks us through the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Using Kenneth E. Bailey’s book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes as a framework, Heather challenges us to experience the explosive message of the parable in a way similar to how its first-century audience heard it.

Also, for this week’s Social Toolkit, Heather sits down with theologian Esau McCaulley to discuss the sensitive topic of gun reform in the wake of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville. How can Christians helpfully engage the topic? Esau contributed to the public conversation with his latest New York Times article: “How Can We Be a Country That Does This to Our Children?”

Esau McCaulley is associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and is the author of Reading While Black. His latest book is a memoir titled How Far to the Promised Land, and it is available for preorder now.

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode Heather sits down with brothers Darin and Jordan Starks, hosts of The Just Different Podcast, to talk about how they built an engaged podcast community. Darin and Jordan speak transparently and wisely about topics such as love, sex, purpose, and shame. They also share their experience with mentorship, finding their “why,” and why they believe God doesn’t need us to be perfect, just available.

Heather also chats with our favorite social media expert, Brady Shearer,, about how to handle trolls and negative comments on your page. Brady offers the acrostic R.I.D. as a handy guide to his three recommended options: Respond, Ignore, or Delete.

Darin and Jordan Starks are brothers and hosts of The Just Different Podcast, a weekly show that covers everything surrounding faith, life, and culture. Their conversations feature the perfect combination of biblical truth, personal experience, real-life issues, and humor.

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode Heather unpacks some of the key themes and learnings from the past four weeks of our “Lessons from My Mentor” pod-class series. She is joined by special guests Arleny Aquino and Xavier Thomas, two of her students at Andrews University, who share their reflections on mentorship and what they were most challenged and encouraged by in the Viral Jesus pod class. They also discuss what they believe college students and young professionals need most from older adults right now, and you may be surprised by what they have to say.

If you missed any of the “Lessons from My Mentor” installments, you can listen to them here: Week 1 with José Rojas, Week 2 with Christine Caine, Week 3 with Jo Saxton, and of course last week’s power-packed conversation with Beth Moore.

And for this week’s Social Toolkit segment, Heather sits down with author Chris Martin, whose new book, The Wolf in Their Pockets: 13 Ways the Social Internet Threatens the People You Lead, explores how social media is harming our mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Martin is also editor of BibletoLife.com and content marketing editor at Moody Publishers. You can follow him on Twitter at @ChrisMartin17.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode concludes our four-part, pod-class series on mentorship. And what better way to finish than with godly wisdom and inspiration from another one of Heather’s favorite online mentors? We’re thrilled to welcome Beth Moore to Viral Jesus. Last week, Jo Saxton guided us through practical tips on what mentoring is, and why we need to cultivate environments that allow us to use our gifts. This week, in often emotional chat, Beth helps us to decipher the voice of God and explains why Scripture is crucial to that process. She also encourages all of us to look for opportunities to be mentors, even if we’ve never had one ourselves.

Heather also sits down with our favorite social media expert, Brady Shearer, to learn about the strategy of inspiration over information when it comes to posting online content. Brady is the director of Pro Church Tools and the church-software platform Nucleus. His work focuses on helping churches navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years. Make sure to let us know your thoughts about this segment by typing in ViralJesusPod on Instagram or Twitter and including #ViralJesus with your comment.

Guest Bio

Author and speaker Beth Moore is a dynamic Bible teacher whose conferences take her around the globe. She has written numerous bestselling books and Bible studies. Her new memoir, All My Knotted-Up Life, debuted at No. 10 on The New York Times bestseller list. She is also the founder and visionary of Living Proof Ministries, based in Houston, Texas.

Join Beth and Heather in person, June 9-10, at Living Proof Live in Fort Washington, Maryland. Get tickets at www.lproof.org/events.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode we continue with part three of our four-part pod-class series on mentorship. If you missed it, please check out last week’s episode with Christine Caine, where Christine cautioned us to not confuse platform with ministry. This week we sit down with Jo Saxton to gain some practical tips on what mentoring is, how we can get a mentor, and why we need to cultivate environments that let us use our gifts.

Heather also sits down to discuss the latest research on mentoring with Dr. Meryl Herr, director of research and resources at Fuller Seminary's Max De Pree Center for Leadership. She earned her MDiv and PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and resides in Watkinsville, Georgia, with her husband and two sons.

Guest Bio

Jo Saxton is an author, speaker, and leadership coach who has led ministries and non-profits, and pastored and planted churches. Jo is co-host of Lead Stories, a podcast that she does with her good friend Pastor Steph O’Brien. Jo and Steph share leadership stories and cover current issues with the aim of encouraging, equipping, and empowering leaders to discover all God has for them. She has written several books, including Ready to Rise and More Than Enchanting. Jo also has launched the digital program Leadership Coaching Community to help women develop their leadership skills and connect with other leaders around the world.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode we present part two of “Lessons from My Mentor,” our four-part, pod-class series on mentorship. In part one, Heather introduced us to Pastor José Rojas, her personal mentor and a former White House advisor. This week we learn from author, activist, and evangelist Christine Caine in a power-packed conversation about what it means to trust God, pursue your calling, and lean into the development process of your own life rather than rush through it. Christine also tells us why she resists the concept of “influencers” and explains why a “platform” isn’t necessarily a ministry.

But first, Heather sits down with her friend Katlyn Giberson, director for digital marketing at the Christian and Missionary Alliance, to discuss Taylor Swift and whether fandom culture is a hashtag bless, or a hashtag mess. Make sure to let us know your thoughts about this segment by typing in ViralJesusPod on Instagram or Twitter and including #Blessed with your comment.

Guest Bio

Christine Caine is a speaker, author, and activist who has been serving the local church globally for over 30 years. She and her husband, Nick, founded the anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign, which works at the local, domestic, and international level to end modern-day slavery. They also founded Equip & Empower, a ministry that is mobilizing people everywhere to live on mission for Jesus. Propel Women is an initiative of the ministry dedicated to coming alongside women all over the globe to activate their God-given purpose. The ministry has also planted three life-giving Zoe Churches in Europe that are not only bringing the Gospel to the region, but also serve the most vulnerable through humanitarian outreach during times of crisis.Christine is the best-selling author of more than a dozen books and studies and you can tune into her weekly podcast or television program to be encouraged with the hope of Jesus wherever you are. Christine holds a Master’s Degree in Evangelism and Leadership from Wheaton College.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Senior Director of CT Media: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

José Rojas went from a 1.7 GPA to a career at the White House and a lifetime of empowering others, including the host of this podcast. Today’s episode is part one of “Lessons from My Mentor,” our new four-part, pod-class series on mentorship. To kick off the series Heather sits down with Pastor Rojas, her personal mentor, to discuss the power of servant leadership. José recounts his ministry journey and explains how he learned the importance of using his influence to create transformative memories for others.

We also visit with our favorite social media whiz Brady Shearer for this week’s #Blessed. He responds to a critical comment on his social media post about whether or not Christians should even have a social media strategy. You do not want to miss Brady’s advice for how to create more engaging social media posts. Make sure to let us know your thoughts about this segment by typing in ViralJesusPod on Instagram or Twitter and including #Blessed with your comment.

Guest Bios

Born in East Los Angeles, Pastor José Rojas serves as president of Puente Ministries, a ministry that exists to improve the cultures of organizations through the development of servant leaders. As a national leader, Pastor Rojas was called upon to work closely with the White House, serving under two US presidents to develop and implement a variety of humanitarian objectives that met the needs of millions of Americans. After serving in a presidential summit on volunteerism in 1997, Pastor Rojas worked with General Colin Powell to launch the national organization, America’s Promise Alliance, resulting in his office launching 70 tutoring centers for underprivileged children across the United States.

Brady Shearer is the director of Pro Church Tools and the church-software platform Nucleus. His work focuses on helping churches navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode Heather puts on her professor’s hat to walk us through the social psychology behind why human beings are wired to exist in relationship with one another. Heather says this is where evolutionary biology and Christianity can agree, that human beings are social beings whose mental and spiritual wholeness depends on our connection to other people and our connection to God. We were created to exist in relationship.

This episode wraps up our thought-provoking “What You May Be Getting Wrong About God” pod-class series. If you’re coming in fresh, you can go back and listen to the first four installments here, here, here, and here.

We also visit with our favorite social media whiz Brady Shearer for this week’s #Blessed. He gives us a breakdown of how you can get someone to stop scrolling and engage with your content. Brady calls it the 3 C’s: common, care, and cliffhanger. Listen in to learn how to create stickier social media posts.

Brady Shearer is the director of Pro Church Tools and the church-software platform Nucleus. His work focuses on helping churches navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years. Make sure to let us know your thoughts about this segment by typing in ViralJesusPod on Instagram or Twitter and including #Blessed with your comment.

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on Twitter @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices