Everyone has baggage. But what if your baggage wasn’t a bad thing?

In this episode, pastor and author Ike Miller joins us to unpack his book, Good Baggage: How Your Difficult Childhood Prepared You for Healthy Relationships. From the start, we discuss the impact of baggage on our lives and relationships, where I tell the story of the best breakup gift I have ever received.

You've heard it said, "You are what you eat." But what if you are "how" you eat?

Today, we discuss two of my favorite things: food and people. In this episode, I talk to Kendall Vanderslice, the Founder and Executive director of the Edible Theology Project and the author of By Bread Alone: A Baker's Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God.

What if you were not the lead character in your own story?

What if your purpose today was to play a supporting role? In this episode, I catch up with my friend, Chris White, a screenwriter and director, about how life imitates art as we discuss his film, Electric Jesus. Chris unpacks the filmmaking process and the challenges of failure and perfectionism.

Failure can be an entry point into being a supporting character. In this conversation, we discuss the importance of being a supporting actor in the lives of others, namely seeing the stories unfold around us and choosing not to see ourselves as the lead.

Making friends isn’t as easy as it sounds.

In some ways, it seemed easier when we were kids. Now, finding friends can feel impossible. In this episode, Phil Knox, the author of The Best Of Friends: Choose Wisely, Care Well, discusses the meaning and importance of friendship. Phil shares his personal experience of loss and how true friendship helped him through difficult times. Phil and I explore the role of faith and friendship in grief, setting boundaries and communicating needs, and the power of presence in friendship. We also discuss the definition of friendship, choosing friends, and determining who our real friends are. Trust me. You want to listen to this one.

You’ve just become a new Christian. What are the next steps?

In this episode, sit down with Aaron Armstrong, author of the book I’m a Christian Now What? A Guide to New Life in Christ. We discuss the shift when someone becomes a Christian and the challenges and turmoil that can follow.

Aaron shares his journey to Christianity and the lessons he has learned along the way. He emphasizes the importance of guidance and community for new Christians and encourages them to be convictionally kind in their interactions with others. Overall, the conversation highlights the transformative power of faith and the need for support and understanding in the Christian journey.

How do we keep moving forward when life feels impossible?

My guest and I deal with this question head-on in today’s episode. In this conversation, Kerri Rawson, the author of the New York Times-selling book A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, love, and Overcoming, shares her journey of trauma, healing, and faith. She discusses the life-altering moment when she learned about her father's crimes and the impact it had on her mental health. Kerri talks about her experience with PTSD and the importance of therapy in her healing process. She also explores the challenges of separating her story from her father, the serial killer BTK, and the power of writing in her healing journey. Throughout the conversation, Kerri emphasizes the need for understanding and compassion when discussing and addressing trauma.

Is your work good, or is it God's work?

You have probably wrestled with this question before. If so, you may need to sit down for this episode because Jordan Raynor, the author of The Sacredness of Secular Work, is on the MercyCast! Jordan sits down with me to discuss the sacredness of secular work and the importance of embracing one's vocation. He challenges the notion of a sacred-secular divide and emphasizes that all work has intrinsic value to God. Together, we explore the cultural mandate and the first commission given to humanity, highlighting the significance of creating culture and making the world more useful for others, with the added bonus of a passionate conversation about "mere" Christians and their impact on sharing the gospel. If you have a job or have ever thought about having a job, this episode is for you.

What if this isn't the most wonderful time of the year for you?

In this episode, our second guest, Krista McDunn, returns to discuss the challenges and complexities of the holiday season, particularly Christmas and New Year's. You heard it here first, folks: we are putting the Krista back in Krista-mas this year.

Together, we explore the feelings of stress, unmet expectations, loneliness, financial strain, and family conflict that can pop up between meals, parties, and holiday specials.

We cover everything from navigating family conflict to maintaining sobriety during the holiday season. At the heart of our conversation, you will find the importance of radical acceptance and finding hope in the gospel message.

Oooh, and one more thing: I pit the advent of Jesus against the advent of the commercialized Santa Claus. Is it controversial? Tune in to find out. What are the holidays without a little bit of drama? Am I right?

What if your outlook is doing more to harm you than help you?

The lens through which we see the world and ourselves matters. In this episode, David Zahl stops by to discuss a different way of viewing humanity and ourselves. Though this outlook may seem new, it’s not entirely unfamiliar to those in the Christian faith. David, the director of Mockingbird and the author of Seculosity and Low Anthropology unpacks the importance of adopting a low anthropological view of ourselves.