121 Becoming Fully Human: Friendship

Continuing our exploration of the gospel we take a serious look at the challenge of living an embodied faith, when our culture tells us to keep our spiritual life private - between us and Jesus. No one likes a bible thumper so how are we supposed to live out our faith, anyway? If you’ve wrestled with any of this you’ll want to have a listen to this episode!

In some parts of the Church deconstruction is all the rage, and in other parts of the Church it’s basically a swear word! Both extremes are unhealthy. In this bonus episode, recorded live at Masters College and Seminary in Peterborough, Ontario, we unpack why everyone deconstructs throughout their Christian life as a maturing process, and we share important biblical precedents that must be in the mix for your rebuilding process.

For years the Church has used fear as both a tactic to “convert” and a method to control people. But what if this was not the way Jesus intended us to live or lead? In this episode we talk about the history and forward trajectory of fear-based evangelism and discipleship with deep dialogue about how this is very different than the way of love.

Loads of us get so busy celebrating Christmas culturally that we hardly give a thought to how to celebrate Christmas as a Christian. What if Christmas could be much more than a season of nostalgia that disappoints or exercises in absurdity? Reimagining Christmas in view of the power of the incarnation and the humility and relationality of "God with us" can transform your celebration of Jesus into a season that is truly life-giving.

We’re reconsidering the gospel in Season 3. In this first episode we do a deep dive in church history to see if we can pinpoint where it all went wrong and explore how a weakened understanding and articulation of Jesus’ good news has disrupted our own discipleship and disabled the growth of the Church. Buckle up - this is just the beginning!

The pandemic created an avalanche of pastors exiting their jobs. What has been the tipping point and where are expectations of pastors skewed? What do pastors do exactly and how can you better support your pastor? All this and more on this pre-season bonus episode!

Every season in life is full of mountains and valleys.  In this episode we look back at some of the highlights and lowlights from season two emphasizing the direction of God in our daily lives. We also talk about what is next for the Down To Earth Podcast.

Leadership is an obsession of the 21st century, but if leadership is in fact a gift from God we must frame it theologically. Going beyond task assignment, empowering people to lead in the Church requires intentionality, both to recognize and cultivate these gifts.