In this episode, Eddie and Chris are joined by Dr. Warren Kinghorn, a psychiatrist who focuses on a more holistic approach to mental health, and health in general. Warren looks beyond merely reducing or eliminating the symptoms, because we aren’t machines. We are beings who need nurture and care and love. He believes that being in community with one another and walking alongside each other in our struggles plays a significant role in caring for our hurting neighbors. Christian community can offer support in ways that help us to know and to affirm the truth of God’s love, even in moments when we might not have the capacity to feel that love.

Today’s guest, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, has a challenge for all of us: to engage the Bible more deeply, and to do that in a way that’s faithful to the historical context in which the scriptures were written. Jews during the Second Temple period were aware of the societal context in which they lived, just as we are aware of ours today. But because we don’t experience that ancient context in today’s world, we lose the nuance of Jesus’ teachings. Putting Jesus back in his historical time and place gives Christians a deeper understanding of the scriptures and allows for us to wrestle with the text, to push back and ask questions.

Mark DeYmaz is a pastor, author, and champion of the multi-ethnic church movement. He spent eighteen years as a youth pastor in Little Rock, Arkansas, before stepping away to plant the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001 where he continues to serve as Directional Leader. Mark has a clear vision for what the Church should look like: bringing diverse people together to walk, work, and worship God, while investing in the local community. Church should reflect the diverse world we live in, as a true reflection of the Kingdom of God.

Dr. Corneilus Plantinga has a few words to say about gratitude, and it may just change your life--physically, spiritually, and emotionally. A habit of gratitude can lower your blood pressure and help you sleep better. But the habit of gratitude also ties us together collectively, in community and in church. When there is genuine appreciation of an act of kindness or a loving word, the memory of that “thank you” is a cushion when disagreement tries to divide us. Gratitude for God’s gifts reminds us daily that we can find something good, even in tough situations.

Hunter Evans is the owner of Elvie’s that serves seasonal dishes and highlights ingredients from local farmers. For Hunter, owning a restaurant is first about hospitality. He focuses on making connections with his patrons, and is a champion of a city in Mississippi that often gets overlooked or looked down on. He also focuses on the wellbeing of his staff, because he believes that if he’s asking his staff to take care of others, they have to be taken care of first.

John T. Edge joins Chris and Eddie for a conversation that takes them all over the South. John T. is a writer, commentator, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and host of the television show True South. He is the director of the Mississippi Lab at the University of Mississippi, and his latest passion project is the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency, which will offer space for writers of all kinds to step away from the real world and put their focus and attention on their writing project, whether that’s a song, a poem, a novel, or a scientific paper.

We’re kicking things off with someone who has a lot of fun while doing a lot of important work: Annie F. Downs.

Annie’s podcast, That Sounds Fun, has been on air for 10 years, and this year, she’s shaking things up a little. She’s helping her listeners navigate the seasons of their life by using the seasons of nature--winter, spring, summer, and fall--to bring some clarity and compassion to those moments when we feel our lowest and to bring joyful ownership to those times when we are at our best.

Historians aren’t always objective, and objectivity is not the same as neutrality. These are important distinctions for Dr. Joseph Crespino. For him, studying history is about a commitment to fairness, honesty, and justice, and accepting evidence that doesn’t automatically align with preconceived notions--advice that can be used in all sectors of life. Learning about history, especially the dark parts we’d like to ignore, gives us greater understanding and insight into today’s world.

Ruth Haley is spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader, and author. She is the founder of the Transforming Center, an organization that creates space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. For Ruth Haley, discernment--recognizing the presence of God and listening to God’s voice in our everyday lives--is a habit that we can practice daily as we make small decisions, which will help us make bigger personal decisions, and eventually will guide our corporate decisions.

Bill Simmons is the President and CEO of Hope Rises International, formerly American Leprosy Missions. He has been a leader on many boards and organizations, and has worked in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He believes in the importance of spiritual practices in organizational life, and uses "pause, psalm, and prayer" before meetings to focus and center his employees. His book, The Way of Interruption is the result of his experiences during his three-month sabbatical, and it offers some practical steps and simple liturgies for Christ-centered leaders.

Eddie, Chris, and our producer Cody Hickman sit down to discuss generosity and how it’s changed over the years. The three of them have a combined 61 years* of experience in a church setting, and all three have seen changes in giving. Economic factors, widespread institutional distrust, and increases in the cost of living mean that now more than ever, people need to trust the organizations they give to. To get that trust, organizations need transparency: where is your money going? How much good is being done with your resources? Are there other ways you can help when you can’t donate financially?

Matt is the founder of The Gathering, a multi-site United Methodist congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. As the founder and leader of a consistently growing urban church and the co-author of Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches, Matt is more than qualified for today’s conversation.

Rachel Jordan is a professional marine biologist who earned her B.S. in Ecology at Seattle Pacific University and her M.S. in Marine Biology & Ecology at James Cook University in Australia. She also has a Certification in Biblical Studies from Bodenseehof Bible School in Germany. Her book, If the Ocean Has a Soul, will release on June 3, 2025, and is available for preorder now.

Phil Gwoke is a proud Gen Xer, a generational expert and the CEO of BridgeWorks, an organization that helps companies bridge generational gaps and foster cultures of understanding and respect. Each generation is shaped by unique events and conditions that happen during their teenage years, and Phil knows how important it is to adapt leadership styles to meet these generational needs. He offers some excellent advice for leaders, and some interesting insights into the differences among Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z.

Chris and Eddie are joined by previous guest Greg Jones for a spirited conversation about leaning into hopeful imagination: looking for places where the Holy Spirit is at work and where we can see a future that’s different from the past and the present. What does it mean to be formed in God’s imagination? How can we use that formation to find security in a fractured, uncertain world? How can we bring resurrection hope--the surety of a risen Christ to heal the world--to our institutions, our communities, and our daily lives?

If you are a pastor, a Christian, or a Christ-centered leader in any way, this conversation may change your life.

At the very least, we hope you’ll come away with a new framework for putting your faith into daily practice. Today’s guest, Tom Nelson, is passionate about equipping God’s people for their daily life. He wants us to shift the paradigm of being a Church that only gathers on Sunday to being a Church that has the compassion, capacity, and imagination to make real changes in our Monday world.

Esther Lightcap Meek is a philosopher, author, and speaker known for her work on epistemology (the study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge. How do we know what we know, and how much more is there to know?). She joins Eddie and Chris for a discussion about forgiveness, and getting to that moment where you see a larger pattern in the world around you allows you to look forward rather than dwell in past hurt.

This episode comes out on Maundy Thursday, the day when Jesus celebrated his last Passover meal with his disciples and washed their feet in an act of humble service. Tomorrow is Good Friday, where Christians around the world relive Jesus’ crucifixion and death and wait for the Good News of Easter Sunday--the day of resurrection and the restoration of hope.

Why does this matter? Because in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are not only forgiven, but we are given a new way into offering forgiveness to those who have harmed us. Forgiveness is a complex process, often involving grief and mourning, and should not mean we forget or erase past harms. Today’s guest gives us thoughtful insight into how we experience forgiveness--how we offer it to others and ask for it for ourselves.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Dan Forrest, a well-known musician and composer who has found his niche in composing and arranging music as a way to honor the beauty of God’s work in creation. 

Dan’s work ranges from small choral pieces to multi-movement works for full orchestras and choirs.

Eddie and Chris are joined by previous guest Dr. John Swinton for a frank yet gentle discussion of the complexities of healing, particularly in the context of mental health. Healing is more than just being physically cured; it’s a restoration of connection and community. It’s offering holy friendship. It’s remembering that Jesus, fully God and fully human, suffered with us and for us. Healing returns us to our identity as daughters and sons of God.