Provoke & Inspire is a weekly podcast featuring four artists, ministry leaders, and passionate followers of Jesus (Ben, David, Luke, and Chad) with decades of front-line experience and the stories to back it up! Every week they discuss how Jesus might respond to current events and issues facing the church today.
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To CPA or NOT to CPA? Public vs Private? What if you could run an experiment? Take twins, with identical DNA, life experiences, education, GPAs, majors, internships, and careers as accountants. Then have twin A go private and have twin B become a CPA and go public. Follow Becky Steiger and Norma Steiger on their separate journeys in the private and public accounting worlds! Together they will compare and contrast their experiences and goals in the accounting profession.
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The hallway track is the best place to discover new people in the Laravel scene. You'll hear conversations between people you already know, and get a fresh perspective and stories from people you don't.
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Author Keith Rovere has had years of correspondence with some of the most notorious killers. In this podcast he offers listeners a unique experience to hear some firsthand accounts and get to know some of the people involved in the crimes. Buy Keith Rovere’s books on Amazon. This show is a proud member of the BoomBastic Media Network. .
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Episode 514: Reaching People for Jesus in the Inner City of Chicago W/ Esteban Shedd
46:47
46:47
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Ben and David sit down with rap and hip hop artist Esteban Shedd, as he shares about the beginnings of Streetlights audio bible, and how from a basement to a parking lot, to a studio, to a non-profit, to the road, to the globe - contextualizing the word of God has effectively reached millions who might never walk into a church. To learn more about …
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Episode 513: What If God Doesn't Want to Heal Me?
33:30
33:30
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So often our culture in the church sets people up for failure with expectations of prosperity, healing, and after coming to Jesus, when the truth is that this is just not the reality to be expected. David and Ben ask the question of whether or not healing is a guaranteed part of being a Christian, or if God might sometimes have greater plans for re…
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Episode 512: Does Prayer Really Make A Difference? W/ Pete Greig of 24-7 Prayer
43:30
43:30
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Is prayer something inevitably dull and boring? How can we faithfully engage in prayer to change the world for Jesus? In this episode Ben and Luke talk with the founder of the 24-7 Prayer movement, Pete Greig, and discuss how a life of prayer is the only hope we have in making a difference as Christians. ------------------------------- Questions, c…
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Episode 511: Bad Therapy, the Mental Health Crisis, and the Solution No One Is Talking About!
42:48
42:48
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Is modern therapy making us all worse? Has the church adopted the secular mindset of medicating its way through the normal hardships of everyday life? In many ways it seems we've forgotten the healing power of the gospel, and the restorative power of the Holy Spirit. In this episode the regulars weigh in on this controversial subject, after reading…
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S2E12 - Pearl Fernandez: Past ,Present and Future
35:00
35:00
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Episode 510: The Toxic War on Masculinity W/ Nancy Pearcey
50:56
50:56
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Is the current war on men justified? How do we as Christians aim to address and remedy the toxic masculinity in our culture as followers of Jesus? Professor Nancy Pearcey sits down with Ben and Chad to discuss this topic in light of her new book, "The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes" ------------------------------- Q…
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S2E9 - Joseph Danks: The Koreatown Slasher
50:56
50:56
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Episode 509: Without THESE Changes We Will Never Reach the World! W/ Dr. Lisa Pak (Finishing The Task)
46:25
46:25
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In this episode, Ben and Aaron sit down with Reverend and Dr. Lisa Pak, who works alongside Pastor Rick Warren at Finishing The Task, an organization that exists to see every people group in the world engaged with an indigenously led church planting movement. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that, "...this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the w…
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Using Laravel in the enterprise - Nigel James
49:16
49:16
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Nigel sits down with Mitchell to discuss using Laravel in the enterprise software world. Nigel James is an enterprise software developer, and the owner of Square Cloud. Mitchell Davis runs Atlas Software and RecruitKit. The Atlas Software blog (00:00) - I've got some explaining to do (02:54) - A day in the life of Nigel James (05:07) - Getting star…
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Why do we quit? What is it that is making the average American change jobs every four years? In this quick hit Ben talks about perseverance, and how the significance of our lives depends on us getting this right. ---------------------------------------------------- Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE! Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love…
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Episode 508: Two Reasons Why We Quit When It Matters Most
43:02
43:02
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The Bible instructs us to run the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). As followers of Jesus, how can we practically set out to accomplish this? Ben, David, and Chad wrestle through the topic of perseverance in the life of a Christian, and how we can do so in a world that quits near…
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Episode 507: What Should Christians Think About Marijuana? W/ Dr. Todd Miles
42:51
42:51
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Is marijuana prohibited by scripture? Is it encouraged? As the drug increases in legalization and cultural prevalence, how do we as Christians approach it? In this episode, Ben and Chad are joined by Dr. Todd Miles, author of "Cannabis and The Christian". When it comes to marijuana, what do we make of its use recreationally, medically, the addictiv…
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Can we actually change, or are we stuck with what we've got? What is it that keeps us stagnant, often held in the same spiritual patterns? In this quick hit Ben discusses what truly changes us, and how anything less than a shift in identity will simply not work. ---------------------------------------------------- Want to invite Ben to speak? Click…
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Is changing our minds and our hearts simply about discipline, more knowledge, or other things that might be considered self-help? Is it something else? In this episode the regulars discuss whether or not there really is something distinct about the way in which Jesus changes us. ---------------------------------------------------------- Questions, …
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Episode 505: Polyamory, Lust, and the End of Marriage
46:53
46:53
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Predictably, a lifestyle that once seemed to be confined to only the fringes of society is now being found in reality TV shows, on the covers of mainstream news articles, and widespread across the secular world: Polyamory. Ben, David, and Chad discuss what followers of Jesus should do in the wake of this devastating assault on traditional marriage …
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Episode 504: Is Wokeism and Liberal Ideology Pushing People Toward Jesus?
48:06
48:06
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Is our society seeing a spiritual awakening as more and more of it's leading podcasters, thinkers, and social media influencers begin to confront and experience the hopelessness of the secular worldview? Comedian, actor, YouTuber, and political activist Russell Brand is the latest to begin expressing a growing conviction in Christianity, namely, Je…
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Episode 503: Does God Predestine People for Hell, or Do We Have A Choice? W/ Dr. Leighton Flowers
41:47
41:47
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Does our theology actually make a difference in how we live our lives as followers of Jesus? Does God determine the eternal destiny of each person before they are even born? In this episode Ben is joined by Soteriology 101's Dr. Leighton Flowers discuss these questions, among others as they dive into the mysterious and controversial doctrine of sal…
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Why is it that we can be so casual in dire circumstances; so slow to share our faith, even when the lives of the people around us are being destroyed by lies and hopelessness? In this quick hit episode, Ben shares a personal story of actions taken during an emergency, and contemplating what they reveal about the spiritual reality around us. -------…
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Episode 502: Talking Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art W/ Josh Porter (Showbread)!
1:12:06
1:12:06
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Should Christians watch R-rated movies? Does the Bible contain offensive art? Have we applied arbitrary moral standards to art and killed it in the process? What IS the purpose of art? In this episode Ben talks with author and artist, Josh Porter, about his new book, "With All Its Teeth: Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art." Ch…
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We can often get so caught up in doing things for God and wondering what he might want us to be doing, that we miss some very simple, yet critical aspects of walking out our faith. We miss out on what God has for us; following our own dreams instead of following Jesus. In this quick hit episode, Ben dives into how we were designed to make a differe…
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Episode 501: Talking Matters of Life, Death, and Icy Rivers w/ Brian ‘Head’ Welch (Korn)
41:53
41:53
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In this episode Ben, David, Chad, and a special guest respond to a story of a Minnesota man who dove into an icy river to save the driver of a vehicle that had just gone off of the road. How do we parallel this story with our urgency for the gospel, for those in our lives who are heading toward an eternity without God? Why are we not more vigilant,…
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Episode 500: Do Christians NEED To Follow Trends To Be Effective Witnesses? AND Lessons Learned From Recording 500 Episodes!
50:20
50:20
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It's the 500th episode of Provoke & Inspire! Whether you've been here from the beginning or this is your first episode, thank you for listening and for your support! For this special episode, Ben, Luke, David, and Chad come together and reflect on all that God has done through the podcast in the last eight years. They remember past guests, from the…
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Should Christians Care About the Trends, or Just Focus On the Gospel? Sharing Jesus in a Lil Nas X World.
8:02
8:02
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Late last week, rapper Lil Nas X released his new song "J Christ." The music video features a depiction of Noah's flood and a scene where Lil Nas X is being nailed to a cross. Many Christian influencers have shared their reaction, but do followers of Jesus need to always react to the latest antics of today? What's the line between being informed, o…
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Cats, cuddles, community, and ChatGPT - Marty Friedel and Ruslan Steiger
1:15:25
1:15:25
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Marty and Rus sit down with Mitchell to discuss cats, cuddles, community, and ChatGPT. Marty Friedel is the development director at Mity Digital. Ruslan Steiger is a freelance developer in Switzerland, and also runs the Laravel Switzerland meetup. Mitchell Davis runs Atlas Software and RecruitKit. The new Atlas Software website (00:00) - E002 - Mar…
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Episode 499: THE Reason We Aren’t Sharing The Gospel Today w/ Greg Stier (Dare 2 Share)
52:41
52:41
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Is there something specific that is actively keeping us, the Church, from sharing the gospel? If so, what is it? How can we overcome this epidemic? In this episode Ben and David are joined by author and speaker Greg Stier, founder of Dare 2 Share, and author of the new book, Unlikely Fighter: The Story of How a Fatherless Street Kid Overcame Violen…
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Kill Busyness or It Will Kill You! (Quick Hit!)
5:38
5:38
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Socrates was famously credited with saying, "The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living", and in this quick hit Ben examines our cultures' obsession with busyness as a means of status, albeit a source of extreme anxiety. What does this say about our society, that used to value a person's leisure time as a measure of their value? How do we correctly de…
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