This is a podcast with deep, generous Evangelical conversations. We are lifetime friends (both named Josh) who want to follow Jesus wholly and honestly. We have been pursuing Jesus together through weekly phone conversations for 20 years. This podcast puts more chairs around the circle as we use our friendship and theological training to delve into real-life, practical issues around faith, family, and spiritual formation. Come join the conversation on social media. www.facebook.com/onthephon ...
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Churches may not be a business with a CEO or a CFO, but they are still an organization that needs structure and policies around which to operate. In this episode we talk about the necessity for good practices in the church and how the protect pastors, staff, and attendees alike. We also take a moment to reflect on our Psalms reading for this week. …
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Psalm 110 might be one of the linchpin chapters of the entire Bible. It reaches back to foundational texts in Genesis, grounds itself in the Davidic monarchy, and culminates in the personhood of Jesus as described by the author of Hebrews. This is a text screaming for a closer look. We invite you to join us! Download our Summer in the Psalms Readin…
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The seven deadly sins aren’t really talked about these days. Instead, morality is often boiled down to love, tolerance, and civility. Yet, when we take a deeper look, things like pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth are just as relevant as they ever were. What would it mean to take these seriously again? Come join us for this convers…
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The command to praise shows up over 200 times in the Psalms. In practical reality, what does that mean? How do we get better at doing it day by day? Join us for this conversation and every conversation in our summer in the Psalms series. Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11tbpHE0VjE5CSU_C6Brhr708M1…
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YHWH Sabaoth is featured prominently in Psalm 84, but its warrior image doesn’t seem to fit the overall tone of the Psalm. What’s going on here? In this week’s episode, we venture an alternative take on this and other images from Psalm 84. We invite your comments and feedback as we do! What do you make of this wonderful Psalm? Download our Summer i…
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Is a fresh take on the Good Samaritan story possible? What if we were invited to see this story through the eyes of an often overlooked character? How might this parable be speaking to us today? Special thanks to Pastor Chase Replogle of Bent Oak Church for preaching a compelling sermon that we discuss on today’s episode. Download our Summer in the…
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Are the beatitudes meant to be a set of moral imperatives that we should strive for? Or are they somehow a blessing to the “sat upon, spat upon, ratted on”? What does the context of the sermon on the mount teach us about how the beatitudes should be read? Come join the conversation on both the beatitudes and this week’s Psalms reading. Download our…
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In his book Reversed Thunder, Eugene Peterson describes the author of revelation as being a poet, a theologian, and a pastor. In the process he describes what each of these three roles “takes seriously.” For this episode, we want to dive into what it would mean in our lives to take people seriously, to take God seriously, and to take seriously the …
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E107 - Finding and Using Your Spiritual Gifts
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Finding your spiritual gifts is not always as easy as taking a 15 minute survey. In fact, sometimes those very assessments can steer us down the wrong path. So how is one to find their spiritual gift? And once found, how are they to know when and how to use it? Come join the conversation and let us know your experience with finding and using your s…
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E106 – Does The Church = The Kingdom of God?
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At times the Kingdom of God gets conflated with the local church. Are the two actually one in the same? If not, how should we distinguish between the two? And what role does the local church play once we’ve made the distinction? We invite you to join in the conversation and join in reading the Psalms with us all throughout this Summer! Download our…
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The Rich Young Ruler might be one of the most challenging passages for 21st century Western Christians. It brings up so many uncomfortable questions about wealth and to what degree we should identify ourselves with the rich young ruler. In this episode we wrestle with the relationship between wealth and following Jesus. And then we end on a few tho…
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Just like a resting heart rate tells us a lot about our health, what can we learn from our resting stress rate? How can we measure it and make sense of the data? And what benefit might it have to living in the Kingdom of God? Come join us for this conversation and for our thoughts from this week’s Psalms reading. Download our Summer in the Psalms R…
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Psalms 1 and 2 are said to be a general introduction to the Psalms as a whole. But with very different themes in each, how are we to understand these Psalms? How can we hold together these themes? And supposing we get that far, how might it help us read the entire psalter? Welcome to the very first week of the Summer in the Psalms! Download our Sum…
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E102 - Recap and Preview Summer in Psalms
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The Summer in the Psalms begins next week!! We take this episode to look back on last year’s Psalms reading and look forward to this year’s reading. As we do, we hope you will make plans to join us as we set our mind on the church’s prayer book throughout the ages. Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d…
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E101 - Where is God in Spiritual Formation?
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We often talk about spiritual formation as if it is something that we do. But what about God? Doesn’t God play a role as well? What exactly is that role? Come join us for this conversation and for our upcoming Summer in the Psalms series that you can follow along with through the link below. Download our Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan HERE: http…
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Our desire is that this podcast be a formative experience for us as hosts and for you as listeners. As we celebrate the nice, round number of 100 episodes, we take a moment to look over the experience so far and see how it has formed us. If you are one of our faithful listeners, we would love to hear from you to know how this podcast has affected y…
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Scholarship is one of many facets of the church. But how do we fit these pieces together? Do scholars just help the rest of us become more learned or is there more to it than that? Come join the conversation about the role of scholarship in the church. And then make plans to join us for our upcoming Summer in the Psalms series beginning this Memori…
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Curiosity may be a new buzz word in our society. Has this word caught your attention? If this is a societal value, should it also be a value that we have as Christians? What role might it play? Come join the conversation! And get ready for our upcoming Summer in the Palms series by downloading the reading plan below. Download our Summer in the Psal…
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How should we evaluate the value of short term missions? Some may say that the expense involved far outweighs any potential benefit. Is that true? Is there another way to think about short term missions? Dive in with us as we explore this topic and then let us know what you think! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://ww…
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It feels a little cruel to let someone struggle. Yet, sometimes we do more harm than good by “helping.” There is a lot of growth to be had in all areas of our lives that can only come through having to struggle through. How might this affect things like parenting, discipleship, counseling, or friendships? Listen in here and then share this episode …
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Friendships as adults just don’t work the same way as they did when we were younger. In fact, they are a lot harder. Why is it so darn hard to form friendships as adults, and what can we do about it? You’re invited to commiserate with us and then join the conversation on social media. Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https:…
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On this episode Josh from Missouri opens up about his experience with ADHD. Our hope is that this can be one small step toward normalizing neurodivergence and helping those who are neurotypical be more informed and responsive to those with ADHD. We know that ADHD affects us all in different ways, so we invite you to share this episode with a friend…
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Today we explore the what and the why of contemplative practices. We attempt to put words to our own experiences with contemplative prayer and also explore the Scriptural support for it. We end by providing a few thoughts to those wanting to being an engagement with these practices. And, of course, we end with another rousing Which Josh question… C…
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Spending time with God is not always “productive.” We don’t always have a new thought to share or a new insight to chew on. Instead, sometimes all we have to show for our time is nothing more than minutes in the bank. Is that enough? If so, how can we tell if we’re growing or not? On this episode we explore the boring side of unproductive spiritual…
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Families grow and change. Our own lives, careers, and living situations change. Managing those changes and the shifting dynamics within our families can be complicated. In this episode, we explore the nature of these changes and propose a few things that will help us navigate these changes well. Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWith…
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In John 14, Jesus promises that we will do “greater works” than he did. What did he mean by that? How might our own church tradition influence how we read this text? And how might we pray in light of all of this? Come wrestle through this topic with us and then share your thoughts with us on social media! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnTh…
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Today we consider the idea that there are 3 types of churches in the U.S. – Father churches, Son churches, and Spirit Churches. What do these types of churches look like? What might it be like to have a church that combines all three? Come join the conversation on social media and let us know how this represents your experience of church. Follow us…
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Isaiah is a tough and sometimes intimidating book. In this episode we explore what an initial reading of Isaiah has looked like so far and what hooks we can use to orient ourselves to the structure of this amazing book. If you’ve ever skipped reading Isaish because it was too intimidating, start here. There is some hope. Follow us on: https://www.f…
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E87 - What does "The Word of God" mean in the Bible?
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When the Bible refers to “the Word of God” is it referring simply to the Bible itself or not? If the Word of God can be understood to be more than the Bible, then what does that mean for our understanding of the Bible itself? And can we get “orthorelationality” to catch on as a new term? Come join the conversation and let us know what you think! Fo…
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The word Christian is a little loaded in our society. What do we mean by the word? Does it really strike at the heart of what we want to convey? If not, is there a better word or term to use? How might that do a better job of describing what this whole thing is all about? We’d love to have you join us for this conversation and then chime in on soci…
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E85 - The ProtoHistorical Earth (Genesis 1-11)
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Genesis 1-11 is a unique and often strange section of the Bible. To what genre does it belong? How should we make sense of the long lifespans or the weird god-like beings? How might genealogies help us to make sense of it all? Come join the conversation as we explore this confusion section of scripture. Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheP…
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Is Jesus God? Can Christians even ask this question? Are we flirting with heresy for even suggesting this as a question? Listen in and you be the judge. Let us know what you think. Does this question have value? If so, what can we stand to learn by asking it? Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthep…
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Today we discuss Psalm 91 in preparation for Josh from Oregon to preach from this text. We explore the theology, the emotional impact, the main point to convey in the sermon, and ways to illustrate it. You’re invited to join the conversation! And if you'd like to see the final sermon that Josh from Oregon preached, click the link below! "The Final …
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So many good books and so little time! What’s your reading plan for 2024? Here’s a few of the books we plan to make a part of our upcoming year. In fact, these may be a preview of many of our future episodes. Bibliophiles unite! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/ https://www.threa…
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The West Wing might be the best show ever written. In a special off-brand episode, we geek out over the show and describe what we love best about it. This one is just pure fun. Enjoy! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/ https://www.threads.net/@onthephonewithjosh Books Mentioned on…
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A six-minute blooper reel is our gift to you this Christmas. Take a few minutes to enjoy all those moments that we picked up off the cutting room floor. Some of these are pure gold (not frankincense or myrrh though). Merry Christmas! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/ https://www.…
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Anyone who has ever been asked to pray about a situation has asked themselves some version of the question, “what should I be praying for exactly?” Today, we ask ourselves that very question. Can intercessory prayer be more than praying for someone’s dying pet? Should it include praying for someone’s dying pet? Come join the conversation and let us…
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We discuss Christmas movies!! Also titled – “Two Middle-Aged Men Complain about Christmas Movies.” Listen in and you be the judge. Merry Christmas! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram.com/onthephonewithjosh/ https://www.threads.net/@onthephonewithjosh Books Mentioned on the Podcast Erikson, Thomas. Surrou…
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After a long (but excellent) series on Exclusion and Embrace, we finally have a little bit of time to catch up on a few of our other thoughts from the past two months. So we thought we’d gather them all together in a little stew we are calling thought soup. Bon Appétit! Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/OnThePhoneWithJosh https://www.instagram…
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E77 - Trinity, Identity, and Self-Giving (Exclusion and Embrace, part 8)
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Yes, we did an entire episode on the appendix. Well, sort of. We also threw in one of our favorite bunny trails and an extended application section where we pull out our main takeaways from the book. If you’ve journeyed this far with us, you may as well see it through! Come join the conversation! Current Series: Exclusion and Embrace. Read and foll…
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E76 - Violence and Peace (Exclusion and Embrace, part 7)
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Jesus the crucified Messiah is also Jesus the rider on the white horse. How do these two images of Jesus fit together? As we imitate Christ, should it be as self-giving love or as conquering warrior? And while were are it, are the images of Jesus as warrior even appropriate for an all-loving God? Come dive into these questions and so much more as w…
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E75 - Deception and Truth (Exclusion and Embrace, part 6)
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What is truth? Is there just one single truth or is truth dependent upon us as individuals to determine it? In this episode, we dive into Volf’s reflections on what is truth and how we should respond in light of our limited capacity to comprehend it. So come on in and join the conversation! Current Series: Exclusion and Embrace. Read and follow alo…
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E74 - Oppression and Justice (Exclusion and Embrace, part 5)
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There is so much chaos in our world right now. Everyone seems to violently oppose everyone else – each with their own sense of what true justice is. How can we see our way out of this ideological mess? Is there any hope for true justice or will oppression and violence be our only answer? Join us as we work through Volf’s thoughts on this all-import…
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E73 - Embrace (Exclusion and Embrace, part 4)
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In this, the pinnacle chapter of the book, Volf lays out his grand vision for the act of embrace. He begins by addressing the inadequacy of an emphasis on freedom alone and then proceeds to argue for the additional act of embrace. Using the act of giving a hug as his guiding metaphor, he also takes a penetrating look at the story of the Prodigal So…
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E72 - Exclusion (Exclusion and Embrace, part 3)
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Deep down, what are the real reasons that we exclude the “other”? Can the crucified Messiah give us a new identity that also removes this tendency? Join us as we take a deep dive into Volf’s thoughts in chapter 3 and a deep dive into our own self-examination to reveal why we behave as we do. Current Series: Exclusion and Embrace. Read and follow al…
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E71 - Distance and Belonging (Exclusion and Embrace, part 2)
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What does it mean to distance ourselves from our culture? Does it mean that we have to leave our culture or be somehow ashamed to be from our native country? How might we create room for the other and yet remain rooted and established in our own cultural space? Let’s dive in to this complex chapter together and see if we can make some sense out of …
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E70 - The Cross, the Self, and the Other (Exclusion and Embrace, part 1)
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Miroslav Volf argues that the cross should be at the center of Christian identity. He believes that the self-giving love of God made so apparent in the crucifixion of Jesus is the model by which all Christians should live. If this is true, how to do we live this out? What does it mean to give of ourselves like Jesus did? How do we balance that with…
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Today’s episode is a nod to all the 90s songs the helped to form us spiritually. Some of our choices may surprise you. Some may also be on your list. What would you add? What makes that song particularly formative for you? Join us this week for a lighthearted look down memory lane then come join the conversation on social media! New Series Coming O…
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SIN – It’s such a weighty 3-letter word. How should we apply it though? What things are sinful and what things are just a “good idea.” And once we know what sin is, how should we respond? These questions often come out filling shameful. Is there another way to view it? Come listen in on our conversation and then keep the conversation going by joini…
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Following the excellent expose on the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill by Christianity Today, we want to ask what measures of health we can implement to create healthy churches. What are the safeguards, best practices, and lessons learned from this podcast? If you’ve listened to that podcast, come share what other lessons you learned and how the church c…
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