The GoodLion Podcast

The GoodLion Podcast is a show that explores the intersection of faith and culture. Hosts Aaron Salvato and Brian Higgins have been doing the show for 8 seasons and have built a loyal audience of young adults and youth who are hungry for authentic conversations about spirituality and the world around them.In this episode, Aaron addresses a question that they often get from new listeners: "What is the GoodLion Podcast?" He explains that the he and Brian see the show as a platform for open and honest discussions about the Christian faith and how it relates to the issues that young people face in their daily lives. They believe that these are important conversation to have, as many young people are struggling to make sense of their faith in a world that is constantly changing and challenging them.Through the show, Aaron and Brian have seen God use their conversations to minister to people and help them grow in their faith. Aaron shares some of the ways that the GoodLion Podcast has been a ministry to their audience, including providing a sense of community and support for young people who may be feeling isolated in their faith. He also discusses how they have launched GoodLion Ministries as a way to grow what God is doing through GoodLion.Overall, this episode of the GoodLion Podcast is a great introduction to the show for those who are curious about what it's all about. Whether you're a long-time listener or just discovering the show for the first time, this episode will give you a better understanding of the heart and vision of the GoodLion Podcast and the ways that God is using it to minister to young people and help them grow in their faith. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

Evan Wickham and Aaron Salvato discuss the "Mission of God" and what it means for followers of The Way of Jesus. They discuss their shared background growing up as pastor's kids in evangelical culture, and how easy it is to become apathetic to the mission of the Church. Evan gives some great insights into how to break free from this apathy and find ourselves more committed to living out the call of the Christian Church. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

So often we turn to things like money, stuff, safety and security to give us what we need. In doing so, we often grow apathetic towards our true need: Christ. In this episode, Aaron gives a message pointing us to the reality of our need for a savior. We need to wake up to the reality that we need Jesus more than we need anyone or anything else. The world is full of sin and darkness, and apathy lulls us to a sleepy place of comfortability with sin. We know sin leads to death, but so often we don't treat it that way. We need to wake up and see sin for the destructive force it is. We must resist apathy and turn towards Christ. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

A dive into the concept of God's Holiness and the call for Christians to be Holy. What does Holy even mean? How can we be asleep to this reality? We explore how failing to understand Holiness can cause us to be apathetic in our faith, and discuss how to turn things around and wake up to the call to be Holy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

Brian and Aaron respond to a message from a listener who 1. admits her struggle with apathy, and 2. also shares some beautiful insight on how to resist it! In this episode we try our best to acknowledge just how easy it is to lose our passion for God, but also just how possible it is to find our way back to Jesus. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

Part 2 of GoodLion's series on "Resisting Apathy." The first step to waking up from the slumber of apathy is recognizing God's story and where we find our place in it. But the next thing we need to discover is the love of God. The love of God is one of the most central themes in the entire Scriptures and could be argued to be the true meaning of life. Despite this, so many Christians feel distant from God, and some even question if God loves them because of circumstances in their life. In this episode, we want to dive into the concept of God's love. We want to help people everywhere wake up to the reality that God loves them deeply and cares for them like a father cares for his child.This also includes facing the reality that God sometimes shouts at us within the fire. Often time we interpret this shouting as angry, but really it is loving because it is a father trying to rescue his child. No matter where you find yourself today or what labels you've given yourself, we hope this episode helps you adopt the primary label of "loved." We hope it enables you to understand how truly loved you are and how freeing a life of love can be. We hope this episode inspires you to wake up and follow Jesus, the one who IS love. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

In this episode, Aaron speaks with professor Uche Anizor, author of the book "Overcoming Apathy: Gospel Hope for Those Who Struggle to Care".They discuss the struggle many church kids face, namely, growing up in a Christian environment and feeling "on fire for God", and then developing apathy in their college years and drifting to a state of complacency. Uche offers some great guidance on what can be done to resist and break free from an apathetic Christian life.Uche Anizor (Phd, Wheaton College) is an associate professor of theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

Part one of a new series by GoodLion Ministries called "Resisting Apathy". Aaron and Brian speak into the problem of apathy in the Christian life, noting how it is a problem that is born out of complacency and a disconnect from Christ. Christian apathy is defined as a lack of interest or concern for the things of God. It is a problem that plagues the church and keeps people from truly following Jesus.  As two former youth pastors, Aaron and Brian have seen so many young Christians ride the roller coaster of faith, swinging from "on fire for Christ" to "burned out on religion" and "disconnected from God." When people are complacent, they are content with where they are in their relationship with God. They are not interested in growing or changing. This can lead to a disconnect from the Christian community and from Jesus.   Apathy is also a problem because it leads to a complacency about sin. When people are not interested in the things of God, they are also not interested in repenting of their sin. This can lead to a life marked by sin and a lack of fruitfulness.   If you are struggling with apathy, it is important to understand that you are not alone. Many Christians struggle with this issue. However, there is hope!Aaron and Brian discuss how vital it is to start your journey of resisting apathy with reconnecting with the story of Christianity itself. The story of God. Once you recapture this story, and find your place within it, your journey away from apathy and towards a revitalized faith truly begins. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

Years ago I heard one of my mentors, Evan Wickham, use a phrase I found compelling. He said: "Jesus is what God has to say." It was powerful and it stuck with me. Over the years I've been mulling over this phrase and thinking about how it intersects with one of the debates that's being had within Christianity about the concept of “the word of God.”Some people insist the Bible is the word of God. Still others insist, no Jesus is the Word of God. Where does the truth lie? That's the question we are going to dive into today. On this episode I'm joined by that same mentor I learned the phrase “Jesus Is what God has to say” from: my former youth pastor and good friend, Evan Wickham. I know you're going to be blessed to hear from Evan today. If you don't know him, he's a worship leader, Husband and father of 5 kids, a graduate of western seminary, and a church planting pastor who leads Park Hill Church in San Diego. I can't speak more highly of the guy. He's been one of the people in my life who has challenged me and inspired me to follow Jesus the most. He's always encouraged me to dive deep, not shy away from tough questions, and has always pointed me back to Christ. In fact, if it wasn't for the ways he impacted me over the years, this show and ministry of GoodLion probably wouldn't exist!With all that said, I know you're going to enjoy todays episode as we explore the concept of the "Word of God", and ask who, or what, is the Word of God? We get deep. We get Biblical. I know that I learned a lot, and I hope you do too. I hope this conversation between a teacher and his former student blesses you, encourages you, challenges you, and surprises you. Youre listening to the GoodLion podcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com

Brian Higgins shares with us about the necessity of community in the Christian life. We are currently living through a post-pandemic cultural moment where many Christians are finding it hard to regain community. We also know many young people who've graduated out of youth group and now are trying to navigate their 20s also struggle greatly to find community. It can be easy to give up. In this episode we want to share with you why we believe community is important, even if it's messy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodlionpod.substack.com