Pastor Writer: Conversations on Reading, Writing, and the Christian Life

We so easily occupy ourselves with things too great for us. Psalm 131 is a maintenance psalm, a kind of soul pruning for our hearts and eyes. The psalm teaches us to have hope in God, a kind of hope that leads us to a deeper rest and contentment in him.It is a lesson many of us need to be reminded of. As the world seems to unravel, we focus our hearts and eyes on what matters most. Psalm 131 brings us back to our proper place and offers us hope.  Hope in the Lord, now and forevermore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For several decades the church has given a lot of attention to the topic of leadership. There are conferences, podcasts, books, and academic programs all helping pastors become better leaders. In this episode, we discuss the pastoral interest in leadership and what might be missing from those conversations.In 2015, Jim published the book, Lead So Others Can Follow. It was a call for a different kind of leadership, what he calls “Spiritual Leadership.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After graduating from Brigham Young University, Derwin played professional football in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and with the Carolina Panthers. During that time, he and his wife Vicki began their journey with Christ.Derwin and Vicki eventually began an itinerant speaking ministry in 1999 and Derwin went on to graduate from Southern Evangelical Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree, with a concentration in Apologetics.Following God’s call on their lives, the Lord transitioned Derwin from his primary role of an itinerant speaker to serving as the Lead Pastor of Transformation Church in January of 2010.In addition to his role at Transformation Church, Derwin teaches at conferences nationwide and is the author of several books including Hero: Unleashing God’s Power in a Man’s Heart (2010), Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future (2013) and, recently released, The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Gene Getz, Host and teacher of Renewal Radio, has been a Senior Pastor, Professor, and is the author of more than 60 books. He has been a church-planting pastor in the Dallas Metroplex since 1972 and has served as an adjunct professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. Gene is President of the Center for Church Renewal and serves as Pastor Emeritus of Chase Oaks Church in Plano, Texas.After transitioning from his role as Senior Pastor more than ten years ago, the Life Essentials Study Bible is now the centerpiece of his ministry. Its unique format includes 1500 “principles to live by,” each with a QR code providing access to a total of 250 total hours of video teaching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott James works as a pediatric physician in Birmingham AL. He also serves as an Elder at The Church at Brook Hills. He and his wife, Jaime, have 4 children.Scott is the author of 2 family worship books, The Expected One: Anticipating All of Jesus in the Advent; Mission Accomplished: A Two-Week Family Easter Devotional, as well as the illustrated children's books The Littlest Watchman(The Good Book Company, 2017) and Where Is Wisdom? (B&H, 2020).He joined me today to talk about writing kids' books and how books can impact the spiritual life of your family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, I have some big news to share with you at last. I’ve been working for over four years to be able to release this episode. A few weeks ago I received an offer of publication from Zondervan. This past week, I finally signed the contract. But for those of you who have followed the show and know about the Samson book I’ve long worked on, it might surprise you to know that isn’t the book that was purchased, at least not exactly.One of the awkward parts of this podcast has been that I’ve been talking about publishing and writing for the past two and a half years having never published anything in my life. This is the part where I finally get to tell you how I did it; how all my plans have paid off; how you only need to do what I’ve done and… Boda bing, bada boom!The truth is, this has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and there have been times when I didn’t know if it would ever happen. There have been some really challenging obstacles and some twists I didn’t expect. My agent admitted it was one of the longest processes she has ever gone through. My path has been unconventional, providential, and generally speaking not something I could have expected or suggest others follow. At least, I hope it isn’t like this for everyone.The other thing you should hear me say right at the beginning is that a publishing contract is not what you think it is and it won’t do for you what you might think it would. That being said it is also a gift and one that I am deeply humbled by and grateful for.During our stay at home orders, I introduced my son to one of my favorite childhood movies, Cool Runnings. The main character was obsessed with making it to the Olympics and taking home a gold medal. His coach offered him a piece of wise advice. I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. “A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Abdu Murray is Senior Vice President of Ravi Zacharias International MInsitires and is a regular speaker at churches, college campuses, and business and government gatherings. He also hosts the podcast The Defense Rests. Abdu is the author of many articles and three books, including Grand Central Question and Saving Truth: Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World.For most of his life, Abdu was a proud Muslim who studied the Qur’an and Islam. After a nine-year investigation into the historical, philosophical, and scientific underpinnings of the major world religions and views, Abdu discovered that the historic Christian faith can answer the questions of the mind and the longings of the heart. Abdu holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. As an attorney, Abdu was named several times in Best Lawyers in America and Michigan Super Lawyer. He joins me today to talk about the legacy of Ravi Zacharias and about a recently released book he coauthored with Ravi titled Seeing Jesus from the East: A Fresh Look at History's Most influential Figure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Bryant has been in full-time ministry since 2000, serving Churches around the country and formerly as the Director of the St. Louis Dream Center. At the Dream Center, he worked to help make a difference in the inner city of St. Louis by meeting people's physical needs in an effort to introduce them to Jesus.He is married and has 5 kids. He and his wife Angie are both licensed ministers and together they lead Alex Bryant Ministries which exists to help reconcile people with God, themselves, and their fellow man.Alex just released a new book entitled Let's Start Again: A Biracial Couple's View on Race, Racial Ignorance, And Racial Insensitivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Dodson is the founding pastor of City Life Church in Austin, TX.He is also the founder of Gospel-Centered Discipleship and is author of a number of books including Here in Spirit, The Unbelievable Gospel, and the book he joined me to talk about Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes.He joined me to talk about the meaning of crisis and how the beatitudes are a tool for overcoming moral chaos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chuck DeGroat is professor of pastoral care and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He is also a senior fellow at the Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco. He served as a pastor at churches in Orlando and San Francisco and founded two church-based counseling centers.He is a licensed therapist, spiritual director, and the author of Toughest People to Love, Wholeheartedness, and the recently released book When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices