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

Jim Cymbala has been a pastor for more than fifty years at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.He has a strong burden for the local church and has been blessed with the opportunity to encourage thousands of pastors around the globe. He is the bestselling author of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and several other titles.His next book, Fan the Flame, will release in September 2022. He joins me to talk about the book and how pastors can keep their call alive during times of discouragement and burnout.Jim lives in New York City with his wife, Carol Cymbala, who directs the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

Chris Nye is a doctoral student at Duke University’s Divinity School and the author of Distant God and Less of More. For fifteen years, he has served as a local church pastor. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and various other publications.He recently released a new book, A Captive Mind, Christianity, Ideologies, and Staying Sane in a World Gone Mad. Chris joins me to talk about his new book and how ideologies can impact our faith and the church. 

Jonathan Dodson is the founding pastor of City Life Church in Austin, TX which he started with his wife, and a small group of people.He is also the founder of Gospel-Centered Discipleship.com, which produces resources to help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus.He is the author of a number of books, including Here in Spirit, The Unbelievable Gospel and Gospel-Centered Discipleship.He joins me to talk about his most recent project, a new book: The Unwavering Pastor: Leading the Church with Grace in Divisive Times. The book discusses Biblical wisdom to help ministry leaders cope with church division and leadership stress

Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville. Before serving in Nashville, he served with Tim Keller at New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church as a lead and preaching pastor. In addition to his books, Scott's work has been featured in Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, The Gospel Coalition, as well as other publications.Scott Joins me to talk about his new book that was just released, Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans.

Trevin Wax is vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and a visiting professor at Wheaton College. A former missionary to Romania, Trevin is a regular columnist at The Gospel Coalition and has contributed to The Washington Post, Religion News Service, World, and Christianity Today, which named him one of 33 millennials shaping the next generation of evangelicals.He is the author of multiple books, including The Multi-Directional Leader, Rethink Your Self, This Is Our Time, Eschatological Discipleship, and Gospel Centered Teaching.He joins me to talk about a couple of books including a new devotional he organized through the Psalms.

I believe it is a truth that a mother is made over a matter of months, but you always become a father in a single moment. I remember that moment well. The birth of our first child was full of complications. Hours of labor were induced by a rising blood pressure, alternating cycles of magnesium and then Pitocin, and platelet levels too low for an epidural.After being diagnosed with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, the first dose of magnesium gave my wife enough time to sleep before the induced contractions began. I alternatively spent my midnight hours googling preeclampsia in the dark delivery room corner. That was a bad idea...Read the rest of the article at: The 5 Masculine Instincts

Jessica Hooten Wilson is Louise Cowan Scholar in Residence at the University of Dallas. She is the author of several books, including Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O’Connor and The Brothers Karamazov, which received a 2018 Christianity Today book of the year in arts and culture award.She writes on the great books and literature, including O’Connor, Doestovesky, and Walker Percy.She has a new book out entitled, The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your imagination In the Company of Literary Saints. She joins me to talk about the new book and how literature can shape a believer's pursuit of holiness even when it is a scandal and trips us up.

Jay Kim serves as the lead pastor at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley and on the leadership team of the ReGeneration Project. His writing has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Missio Alliance,  and Relevant Magazine. He lives in Silicon Valley with his wife and two children.It’s Jay’s second time on the podcast. We previously discussed his first book, Analog Church, a great read. The book won numerous awards including Outreach Resource of the Year and The Gospel Coalition Book Award.He joined me in this episode to talk about his soon-to-be-released second book, Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age.

Daniel Grothe is the associate senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. He is a pastor, speaker, drummer, and author of Chasing Wisdom and The Power of Place. Daniel and his wife, Lisa, live on a hobby farm outside of Colorado Springs with their three children and a whole lot of animals. 

Andrew Klavan is an award-winning writer, screenwriter, and media commentator. An internationally bestselling novelist and two-time Edgar Award winner, Klavan is also a contributing editor to City Journal, the magazine of the Manhattan Institute, and the host of a popular podcast on DailyWire.com, The Andrew Klavan Show.His essays and opeds on politics, religion, movies, and literature have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times.He joins me to talk about his newest book: The Truth and Beauty: How the lives and works of England’s greatest poets point the way to a deeper understanding of the words of Jesus.