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

Kevin Weaver is the President and Co-Founder of The Warrior’s Journey.The Warrior's Journey recognizes that the military creates a set of unique challenges that most people don’t understand. They have worked to build a team of veterans to triage and help our warriors create a personal plan to navigate those challenges so they can experience strength and resilience.Kevin is a former pastor and also a US Air Force veteran. He served in the USAF Security Forces at the 24th SPS and in the Office of Special Investigations at U.S. Southern Command in the Republic of Panama from 1983-1987.He joined me to talk about current events in Afghanistan and the unique challenges our veterans face. We discuss how pastors and churches can care for those who have served and sacrificed for us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joel Kilpatrick is an award-winning journalist and author whose work has been featured in Time magazine, the Washington Post, USA Today, CBS Radio, the Dallas Morning News. He has authored and ghostwritten more than 40 books, including a New York Times bestseller. He has reported from disaster zones and civil wars in seventeen countries and received numerous prizes for writing and reporting.Joel has worked with many leading ministries including Rick Warren, Michael Hyatt, TBN, Nancy Alcorn, Convoy of Hope, the Dream Center, and more.He was the founder of LarkNews.com, a religious satire website that won the Dove award for humor from the Gospel Music Association in 2005.Joel has been profiled in Time magazine, Christianity Today, and on NPR, and has been featured twice in USA Today. He earned a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York and now lives in California with his family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jon Tyson is a pastor and church planter in New York City. He is originally from Australia and moved to the United States over two decades ago with a passion to seek and cultivate renewal in the Western Church.He is the author of Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, The Burden is Light, and Beautiful Resistance. But he joins me to talk about his soon-to-be-released book, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character.Jon lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children. He serves as the Lead Pastor of Church of the City New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Wolgemuth has been in the media business for more than forty years. A former president of Thomas Nelson Publishers, he is the founder of Wolgemuth & Associates a literary agency exclusively representing the writing work of more than one hundred authors.Among his professional accomplishments, he has served two terms as the Chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.He is a speaker and best-selling author of over twenty books. His books include, She Calls Me Daddy, the notes to the Dad’s Devotional Bible, and Gun Lap, a book we'll be talking about in this episode.He has also collaborated on works include Men of the Bible and The Most Important Year in a Man’s Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brad Lomenick is passionate about raising up great leaders around the globe. He is a business entrepreneur, speaker, sought-after leadership advisor, author and longtime president of Catalyst, largely credited with growing the organization into one of the largest and most recognized leadership brands and gatherings of young leaders in the US.Prior to running Catalyst, Brad spent several years working for legendary leadership author John Maxwell, as well as executive producing large simulcast and stadium events. He continues to inspire leaders by speaking at conferences and events around the world.What you may not know - for several years he rode horses and was a ranch foreman in the mountains of Colorado, has played American football in Australia and New Zealand, was once in a rap group, and hopes to one day play golf on the Senior PGA tour and have his own hunting TV show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jared C. Wilson is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Author in Residence at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, General Editor of For The Church (and host of the FTC Podcast), and Director of The Pastoral Training Centerat Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. He also co-hosts The Art of Pastoring Podcast published by Christianity Today.Jared is not a catalytic "agent of change" or a visionary anything. He is a failed church planter and once made a mess of his marriage. But he knows Jesus loves him.Jared was a guest on the Pastor Writer podcast way back in episode 76. There we mostly talked about his prolific writing as a non-fiction author, but Jared is also a novelist. Which I'm excited to dig into today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Morton is a teaching pastor at Grace Bible Church in College Station, Texas. Prior to his current role, he has served as a worship leader, a college pastor, and a communications pastor.He has a Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry.He is the co-author of the Ordinary Greatness Bible study series (NavPress, 2012). He has written for Relevant, Bible Study Magazine, and bible.org.He also writes a monthly religion column for The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Batura is vice president of communications for Focus on the Family. In his role, Paul is responsible for media and guest relations.He has more than two decades of experience in the news media, broadcast journalism, publishing, and non-profit administration. Paul has been with Focus on the Family since 1998. Prior to serving in his current capacity, he served as a top writer and adviser to both Focus’ founder, Dr. James C. Dobson, and its current president, Jim Daly.He’s authored books including <em>Chosen for Greatness: How Adoption Changes the World, Good Day! The Paul Harvey Story, and written Mentored by the King: Arnold Palmer’s Success Lessons for Golf, Business, and Life. </em>He and his wife, have had the privilege of adopting three young boys and they join countless other families in celebrating the courageous decision of birthmothers and birthfathers who choose life.Paul is also an active member of his church, where he serves as an elder and Sunday School teacher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With 30 years of experience in book and Bible publishing, Tom Dean is a publishing insider who helps authors smoothly navigate the often confusing process of publishing a book and marketing it.Tom spent almost two decades with Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins in marketing, product development, and acquisitions roles - including six years as Vice President of Marketing for Zondervan Books. He has worked with a number of New York Times bestselling authors and multiple music, entertainment, and sports celebrities.Tom is now offering his expertise directly to authors and publishers and working as a literary agent.I've had the privilege of working with Tom and consider him one of the best. I'm excited to discuss the place of marketing, how book marketing is changing, and does writing a good book even matter anymore? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to ancient historians, most of the Jewish families sitting on that Galilean hillside listening to Jesus teach would spend every day of their lives on the edge of hunger and starvation. Some days were better than others, but they never escaped hunger for long. By some estimations, as much as 85% of a Galilean’s wages/time went toward acquiring food. By comparison, the average US family spends 9.5% of their annual budget on food.The gospel writer, John, records that there were 5,000 men seated there. With wives and children, the crowd would have been well over 10,000. As the day drew on, the disciples recognized they were facing a logistical dilemma. Where would these people find food? They didn’t have the money to feed them. They suggested to Jesus that he call it quits and let the crowd disperse to nearby towns to find food for themselves.But Jesus instead found a boy with just five loaves and two fish. He blessed it and began breaking it and passing it out to the people. John records that every person there ate until they were filled.  They all sat reclined on the hill with full bellies, satisfied. Nowhere else in the New Testament is that language used for another meal. Jesus had fed them to their fill. Many had probably never experienced enough food to have to stop eating.It’s no surprise that the crowd responded by attempting to seize Jesus and make him king.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices