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Description:  Nine years and about 150 episodes after Andrew Peterson was one of Andrew Osenga's very first guests, the two catch up on everything in between — starting with what it's like to watch a story you wrote in your own head become a TV show and then a graphic novel in other people's hands. He talks about a fan comment that pushed him to publicly clarify he hadn't quietly stepped away from touring, and tells the story of spending three years teaching himself a mandolin piece by ear — only to discover the person who wrote it was twelve years old at the time. From there, the conversation winds through an 80-mile walk in England that ends by crossing tidal sand to Holy Island, ten minutes spent staring at a maple tree, and a private sketchbook he has no intention of ever selling — all circling one idea: that curiosity, not mastery, might be the whole point.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "As a songwriter, if you hear somebody cover your song, for the most part you're thrilled that anybody would care enough to like your song enough to put their own spin on it. But it's also really fun to see somebody else's expression of something that you made." - Andrew Peterson "Somewhere between the four Gospels is the real Jesus — each Gospel writer is seeing different aspects of him. So somewhere in the middle of all of this is the man himself." - Andrew Peterson "I need to be okay with not being great at mandolin. I'm gonna move on to the next thing." - Andrew Peterson "Curiosity, I think, leads to delight. It doesn't lead to mastery — it leads to delight. And delight is a very biblical idea." - Andrew Peterson "This is my reason to be outside for an hour and to be still and to look at a tree, without asking anything of it. I'm not trying to write a lyric. I'm not trying to come up with some brilliant idea. I'm just admiring and enjoying this thing that God made." - Andrew Peterson "It's great if a lot of people buy your book or listen to your music, but — the Lord first, and after Him — if you're writing for a certain person or group of people, then you've done your work: you've loved your neighbor well and loved your Lord." - Andrew Peterson   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Theo of Golden by Allen LeviThe Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O'Connor by Jonathan Rogers On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: The Graphic Novel: The Wingfeather Saga, Book 1 adapted by Matt Mikalatos Behold the Lamb of God — Andrew Peterson's annual Christmas album and tourThe Wingfeather Saga animated series adapted from Andrew Peterson's book series, made with Chris WallWhat Went Wrong — a podcast about how difficult it is to make a movie, "let alone a good one, let alone a classic"*Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Official Website Facebook Instagram YouTube X    Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

Description:  Sixteen years ago, Jonathan Rogers finished the novel he was proudest of — and watched it fail so completely that it never made it onto a single bookstore shelf. In this conversation with Andrew Osenga, Jonathan revisits that heartbreak as he re-releases The Charlatan's Boy with a new cover and new illustrations, and traces how the experience forced him to ask an uncomfortable question: why did he need strangers he'd never meet to tell him he mattered? That reckoning eventually pulled him out of a lonely writing life and into founding The Habit, a community built on the idea that writers don't need to compete to do good work — they just need someone in their corner.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "Why is it so important to me that people I don't know admire me? Why do I need to be loved by people I can't love back?" - Jonathan Rogers    "It's the loneliest thing in the world when the book comes out and the world doesn't stop and notice."  - Jonathan Rogers    "You don't have to prove yourself. You don't have to make a name for yourself. You've got a name and you've got an identity."  - Jonathan Rogers    "I'm not nearly as afraid of failure as I used to be."  - Jonathan Rogers    “Writing is a good thing to do whether you get published or not” - Jonathan Rogers   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers  The Habit — Jonathan's membership community/organization for writers  The Habit's "Focus Retreat"    *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  The Habit Facebook Instagram X   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

Description:  Doug McKelvey is the author of “Every Moment Holy” a bestselling series of prayer books, and his newest volume, “Rites of Passage”, is written for the leap into adulthood. Writing it meant reliving a pattern he never once recognized in himself as a young man: getting close to someone, whether a friendship or a girlfriend, and then — almost on a dime — deciding he was done, with no explanation even to himself. But the real turn in this conversation comes when Douglas describes the year he wrote his very first prayer book; a year of financial trouble, strained friendships, and one bad break after another. The day before his manuscript was due, an editor asked him a simple question — did he think what he was going through was spiritual, a form of resistance — and something clicked into place so obviously that he burst into tears. He'd spent that entire year never once considering it. That shift in perspective has stuck with him ever since, shaping how he now thinks about the real cost paid by pastors, by missionary doctors he's met who lose a patient almost every week for lack of basic supplies, and by anyone doing work that matters.    Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "Certainly through the two and a quarter years process of writing the prayers for this book, I had to wade through cringe-inducing memories of mistakes that I made... I was not very good at loving other people, even maintaining friendships." - Doug McKelvey   "We are the mold. God has shaped us through our life experiences and the way he has directed and redeemed those things, so that when that season of life comes along... it takes on the shape of the way God has prepared us uniquely." - Doug McKelvey   "That grief... does tender the heart and creates the space to say, okay, I've made a lot of mistakes, but I can bring these — even these mistakes and these failures — now that I recognize them, to you, God." - Doug McKelvey   Andrew’s Prayer for Listeners   Our dear Lord,  You know the plans You’ve made for each of us,  The works You have for us to do,  Give us courage when the world feels against us,  and the enemy seems all around us, and give us patience while the road is long and our efforts so often feel wasted,  Help us remember the deepest reality: That You are the author and perfecter of whatever faith we hold, For You, Lord, are good and Your mercy is forever.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage by Douglas McKelvey Every Moment Holy: Prayer Songs Every Moment Holy: The Live Experience  Anchor Hymns The Rabbit Room   *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Doug McKelvey’s Website Doug McKelvey’s Facebook Doug McKelvey’s Instagram   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

Description:  This episode with Sally Lloyd-Jones originally aired on November 21, 2017, and it's one of Andrew's favorite conversations from the show. Sally spent years working as an editor for other people's books, certain that writing her own wasn't really an option — until, in her forties, everything changed. She and Andrew talk about the fear that kept her editing instead of writing, the moment she finally decided to find out if she could do it, and how that decision eventually led to books like The Jesus Storybook Bible, which has since sold millions of copies.    Thought-Provoking Quotes:  “The idea was the seed. I already have the idea, and it’s up to God what the harvest is, but my job is to show up.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “We judge our stories halfway through our story... you never judge a novel halfway through a novel. It’s only in looking back that you can see the pattern.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “If you make it excellent, it will reach everyone. If you don’t make it excellent, you won’t, because that’s just how it works—excellence removes all the barriers.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “If you trust what makes you laugh or what moves you, that’s what you have to write... you’ll be original without trying, because you’ll be you.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “Find the thing that brings you alive, because the world needs someone who’s come alive.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “You break through the author barrier and you get out of the way, and it becomes about the story.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd-Jones How to Be a Baby, by Me, the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones His Royal Highness, King Baby: A Terrible True Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones Handbag Friends by Sally Lloyd-Jones *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Sally Lloyd Jones’ website Sally Lloyd Jones’ YouTube Sally Lloyd Jones’ Facebook Sally Lloyd Jones’ Instagram   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

What does a life spent practicing law have to do with crafting a blockbuster novel? For Allen Levi, the answer lies in the power of storytelling. Before the acclaim of his novel, Theo of Golden, Allen spent 13 years honing his skills as a lawyer—a profession where words were his primary tool for persuasion. In this encore episode, we explore how those years of legal practice—combined with his pivot into music and his dedication to observing the beauty in small, everyday things—laid the foundation for the deep, resonant narrative of Theo of Golden. Join us as we look back at the journey that brought this powerful book to life, proving that the stories we tell are defined by the experiences that shape us.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  “As a lawyer, my tool was words. My goal was to persuade. And so after 13 years of law practice, when I ventured into music, it just dawned on me—my tool is words with melody or music and rhythm. My job is to tell stories.” - Allen Levi “To do small things well over a long period of time in the same place is how the kingdom seems to move forward.” - Allen Levi “I see the crop that I’m responsible for as beauty. That’s what I farm.” - Allen Levi   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: allenlevi.com — Allen Levi’s website  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi The Last Sweet Mile by Allen Levi  Oliviatown by Allen Levi  Change for the Better by Allen Levi  “Bucket List” by Allen Levi Young Life Louis L’Amour George MacDonald   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Allen Levi’s website Allen Levi’s Facebook Allen Levi’s Instagram Allen Levi’s YouTube   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

It started with a dare. David French had his whole life planned out as a teenager — Air Force, fighter jets, the whole thing — until eyesight issues and a friend's bet rerouted him toward the LSAT, and somehow, Harvard Law School. From there, nothing about his career went the way he expected: over a decade defending free speech cases for people on the right and the left, then a writing habit that started as a hobby and eventually carried him to the National Review, the founding of The Dispatch, and a column at the New York Times. David talks with Andrew about what it means to “write with regret instead of outrage” — and what it actually looks like to let real criticism in without letting the bad-faith kind wreck you.  Thought-Provoking Quotes:  “I would just summarize my life or my professional life as I'll just call it the accidental career. Like all the way through.” - David French "It was literally my experience with people trying to censor me that got me interested in free speech and the First Amendment.” - David French "My goal is to be a person with thick skin and a soft heart." - David French "We're not God. We're wrong about a bunch of stuff. And we don't know what we're wrong about, obviously, because if we knew we were wrong, we'd change. So to learn that we're wrong, somebody has to show us." - David French "A revival usually begins with, 'I have sinned.' A revolution begins with, 'you have sinned.'" - David French "Write with regret, not outrage." - David French Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: The New York Times — where David is currently an opinion columnist The Dispatch — outlet David helped launch in 2019, home of his newsletter National Review — where David wrote from 2015–2019 FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Education) — where David served as president Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — First Amendment work American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) — First Amendment work Mere Orthodoxy — publication David mentioned reading a thoughtful critique of his Respect for Marriage Act position in The After Party — the church-focused project David works on with Russell Moore and Curtis Chang *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.  Guest’s Links:  David French’s Column with the New York Times David French’s Facebook David French’s Instagram David French’s X Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

Jason Gray has spent decades writing the songs that shaped Christian radio, but don't expect this conversation with Andrew Osenga to stay on the hits for long. It winds through Jason's theory of what actually makes a song great versus just successful, and into heavier territory: the childhood speech impediment he once believed God would heal as proof of faith, and what he learned instead when the healing never came. He talks candidly about his divorce, and how years of praying harder than he'd ever prayed for anything didn't save his marriage — and how that experience quietly took apart everything he used to believe about how God shows up for people. What's left, he says, is a faith that's less certain but somehow requires more trust. Along the way, Jason opens up about a stretch of years, brought on by the stress of the divorce, when he lost the ability to concentrate enough to read — and how getting a record player recently brought his love of music and reading back to life. It's an honest, unhurried conversation about growing up, letting go of certainty, and learning to be more suspicious of your own self-righteousness than anyone else's.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "It wasn't the things I said, it wasn't the songs I sang that spoke the loudest to people. It was the fact that I was broken and I got up and I did it anyway." - Jason Gray "Maybe God doesn't want to heal me of my speech impediment, maybe he wants to bring healing to others through it. And maybe it's an example of God's spendthrift economy, where nothing is wasted and everything gets used." - Jason Gray "The most radically transformational thing that I could do is just allow myself to be loved by God and to allow that to become the fundamental piece of my identity — that I'm God's beloved." - Jason Gray "I'm interested in not being self-righteous, you know. And so much of the religious conversation is about being right, and I have the truth and I stand on the word of truth." - Jason Gray "When my life broke in the middle, all of my answers turned into riddles." - Jason Gray "How do I pursue truth but resist my need to be right?" - Jason Gray "If I'm hearing a voice that is telling me something I didn't see before and is asking me to do something I don't want to do, I don't think I'm generating that. I think that is someone else." - Jason Gray "Dear God, bust apart my ideas of you so I can keep growing deeper into intimacy with you." - Jason Gray   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: “Roaring Lambs” by Bob Briner “Surprised by Hope” by N.T. Wright (source for "With Every Act of Love")  “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard (source for "Nothing Is Wasted")  “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi  “Everyday Life” by Coldplay (album) Acoustic Greatest Hits by Jason Gray Acoustic Storytime (Jason's radio show, SiriusXM) *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Jason Gray’s website Jason Gray’s Facebook Jason Gray’s Instagram Jason Gray’s X Jason Gray’s YouTube   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

Joey Lankford’s journey is anything but predictable. He went from running a 10-location healthcare company in his early 30s to selling everything he owned and moving his family to the tip of South Africa. When he eventually returned home to Tennessee, he started something totally different: a workforce development farm on state land. In this episode, Joey traces the thread connecting those wild shifts. It all started with adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia, which completely changed how his family viewed their purpose in life. He shares what he found living in the townships outside Cape Town—the unexpected joy, the friendships that reshaped him, and a simple greenhouse of tomatoes that eventually inspired his farm, Cul2vate. Now, that same vision is helping previously incarcerated men and women across Middle Tennessee build new careers.    Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "What we thought was the adoption of a baby girl to save her from the plights of Africa actually ended up being God's upside-down story of her redeeming our lives and giving us purpose and mission." - Joey Lankford "It was harder to move back from Africa than it was to move to Africa — because I knew what I was coming back to." - Joey Lankford "There's something about putting your hands in the dirt with somebody that makes it not matter if you just got out of jail or if you drove a Bentley up to the barn. The dirt just sort of equalizes it." - Joey Lankford "We all have addictions — yours are just socially disapproved of. Mine just don't create the need for anyone to put me in a cage. But they take me to the same end: separation from the Lord." - Joey Lankford "When people talk about doom and gloom, I'm like — no. The kingdom is moving at warp speed. There are people doing some really cool stuff, using their resources to redeem a lot of broken things." - Joey Lankford   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Cultivate — Joey's workforce development farm ministry; farms behind churches across Tennessee employing previously incarcerated individuals. Men of Valor — Nashville-based reentry ministry Joey named as a key source of Cultivate workers. Goodwill Industries — Partner organization providing life skills training for Cultivate graduates on a monthly basis. Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee — Early distribution partner mentioned in building out Cultivate's food-giving model. Tennessee Farm Bureau — Partner that helped establish the Meet the Need foundation, which supplies protein for Cultivate food boxes. *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.  Guest’s Links:  Cul2vate’s website Joey Lankford’s Facebook Joey Lankford’s Instagram Joey Lankford’s X Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

Sara Groves is on the Mount Rushmore of Christian singer-songwriters, but this conversation is less about the catalog and more about the life she's been quietly building offstage. Sara joins Andrew to talk about trading a 4,000-square-foot suburban house for a 700-square-foot home down the street from an old church, and what it's taken to keep Art House North — a community arts space in Minnesota — running for fifteen years. Sara also reflects on creativity as a practice for everyone, not just artists, stating her belief that "Beauty will save us," — and why the second half of life might be when you finally start making your most honest work.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "When you're young, you look ahead and think 'if I want to head there, I probably should turn in that direction.’ And then so much happens that you're like — ‘some of it happened because you turned that way, but a lot of it happened because of just, yeah, this isn't doing it anymore.’"  - Sara Groves "If you make community the point, you'll kill it. You have to be in mission together to some end."  - Sara Groves "The people who already had a thing going are not coming to your thing because they're already tending a fire. So you're gathering people who were looking for a fire."  - Sara Groves "God is the ocean and we keep writing about a cup of water. I started writing about the ocean with ‘Add to the Beauty.’"  - Sara Groves "My songs used to be weaponized belief system songs. And now they're not. They're just bearing witness songs. I'm just bearing witness to what it means to be human."  - Sara Groves "You're always invited to the party that you throw. So throw a party. Play to the room you can fill. If you have 50 friends, play in a room for 45 and have five standing at the back. That's gonna be a really fun night."  - Sara Groves "I think everyone should have a creative habit in the same way they have a fitness habit — whether they're a doctor or whoever they are. Beauty will save us."  - Sara Groves   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Sara Groves’ website Sara Groves Patreon Art House North IJM (International Justice Mission) Add to the Beauty — Sara Groves Fireflies and Songs — Sara Groves Invisible Empires — Sara Groves  "Obsolete" — Sara Groves "Mystery" — Sara Groves "Take It All In" — Sara Groves  *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.  Guest’s Links:  Sara Groves’ website Sara Groves’ Facebook Sara Groves’ Instagram Sara Groves’ X Sara Groves’ YouTube   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with  Four Eyes Media .

Thirteen years is a long time to be quiet, especially when music has been your whole life. Amy Grant joins Andrew Osenga on The Pivot to talk about what it took to come back: a bike wreck in the summer of 2022, hours of neurological testing at Vanderbilt, and a doctor who gave her two words of advice — lean in. What followed was a new album, The Me That Remains, built not from a record deal or a producer contract, but from a poem Amy wrote to herself about who she was now, on the other side of everything. They talk about the song she wrote with Tom Douglas the morning after her mother passed, why she calls her daily movement routine "child's play," and what it actually feels like to make music in your sixties — without pressure, without pretending, and with something that sounds a lot like peace. Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "Everyone is always in some state of recovery. You can't live life and not be." - Amy Grant "Everything is the result of incremental change over the long haul. That just has been the beautiful lesson of a long season of recovery." - Amy Grant "Most mornings I wake up and I just feel like — I woke up. I got another day." - Amy Grant "It's a noisy world, it's a busy world. What everybody probably needs is a little more silence, space, peace. But as a creative, I hope I create something, anything, that somebody wants to return to." - Amy Grant "Caring for something — a person or something — is a big part of loving it." - Amy Grant   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: “The Me That Remains” — Amy Grant “The Hits” (compilation) — Amy Grant “The Journey” (compilation) — Amy Grant Wayne Brzenka — artist who created the album cover artwork *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.  Guest’s Links:  Amy Grant’s website Amy Grant’s Facebook Amy Grant’s X Amy Grant’s Instagram   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with  Four Eyes Media .

What if the goal of the Christian life isn't to escape this world — but to welcome the next one into it? N.T. Wright, one of the world's foremost New Testament scholars and author of 87 books, joins Andrew Osenga on The Pivot for a conversation as warm and wide-ranging as it is theologically rich. Tom traces the arc of a life shaped by choir stalls in northeast England, Scripture Union camps in the Scottish Highlands, and a decades-long love affair with the Bible that has never stopped surprising him. He unpacks the central argument of his new book, God's Homecoming — that Christianity was never about souls escaping to heaven, but about heaven coming down to earth. Along the way, he reflects on what it means to hold your convictions with both conviction and humility, why personal transformation and theological understanding are more connected than we think.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "Most people today imagine that the point of Christianity is to go to heaven when you die. They are all wrong. The point of Christianity is not that we should go to heaven. The point of Christianity is that heaven should come to us." - N.T. Wright  "That's always been a sign for me that Christian maturity has, as one of its markers, the moment when texts you couldn't figure out before suddenly make sense — and you realize there's probably a lot more out there still waiting for us to grow into." - N.T. Wright "I think I'm a writer who happens to be in love with the Bible and theology." - N.T. Wright "But so I grew up in that atmosphere and the mantra really was, I will disagree like anything with you, but I will defend to the death your right to say what you say and to see the stuff like you see it." - N.T. Wright "You can't rush things as a theologian. You're working on a problem — and then gradually, gradually, you come around a corner, see things from a different light." - N.T. Wright   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: “God's Homecoming” — N.T. Wright “Surprised by Hope” — N.T. Wright “The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions” — N.T. Wright & Marcus Borg “Spellbound” — Molly Worthen “Democracy and Solidarity” — James Davison Hunter “Jesus and John Wayne” — Kristin Kobes Du Mez “The Samurai” — Shusaku Endo "Genesis" (Yesterday parody) — N.T. & Francis Collins Ask N.T. Wright Anything — N.T. Wright's podcast Biologos Lanier Theological Library Yarntan Manor — theological library outside Oxford *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  N.T. Wright’s website N.T Wright’s Facebook N.T. Wright’s Instagram God’s Homecoming by N.T. Wright   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

What if the thing we're most trying to protect our kids from is exactly what they need? Sissy Goff and David Thomas — children's therapists, co-hosts of Raising Boys and Girls, and founders of Daystar Counseling — join Andrew Osenga on The Pivot to talk about their new book Capable and the growing crisis of capability they're seeing in kids and teens. From the rise of anxiety and depression to kids who won't get their driver's license or text a new friend, Sissy and David break down what's going wrong, and more importantly, what parents can do about it. They talk about the five skills every kid needs, why stress and discomfort can be growth-giving, and how parents can stop getting in the way of the independence their kids are desperately craving. This is one of those conversations that will change how you parent starting today.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  "Kids learn that they're capable by experience."  - Sissy Goff "When I exercise, I don't get stronger unless I stress my muscles. The exact same thing is true of our souls." - David Thomas "You will experience some really, really hard things and loss will knock the wind out of you. And there will be something transformative on the other side if you allow that to happen." - David Thomas "The more connected kids are with their parents, the more healthy adults they grow into." - David Thomas "Parenting is so hard, and it is so important that we are encouraging each other, that we're cheering each other on." - Sissy Goff Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: www.RaisingBoysAndGirls.com — Sissy and David's website “Capable” by Sissy Goff and David Thomas “I Am Capable” — the companion workbook for “Capable” “The Daystar Dogs” book series by David Thomas and Sissy Goff  “Raising Boys and Girls” podcast by David Thomas and Sissy Goff Daystar Counseling Center, Sissy and David's counseling practice in Nashville Hope Heals — the organization run by Jay and Katherine Wolf, who wrote the foreword to “Capable” Hopetown — Daystar's summer retreat program on Kentucky Lake *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.  Guest’s Links:  Raising Boys & Girls Website Raising Boys & Girls Facebook Raising Boys & Girls Instagram Raising Boys & Girls YouTube Raising Boys & Girls TikTok Raising Boys & Girls Podcast Capable by Sissy Goff & David Thomas I Am Capable workbook by Sissy Goff & David Thomas   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with  Four Eyes Media .

Tim Timmons is a singer/songwriter, author, podcaster, pastor, cancer survivor, and—as of this year—the subject of a major motion picture. But this conversation isn’t really about the movie. It's about what it’s like to be Tim Timmons right now, in the middle of one of the busiest and most surreal seasons of his life. Andrew and Tim talk about what it means to stop working for God and start joining Him, why sorrow is a lot like manure (seriously), how Tim thinks about holding grief and gratitude at the same time, and what years of practicing obscurity have to do with the doors that are opening now. This one’s honest, funny, and surprisingly freeing—for anyone who’s ever tried to build their own little suburb in the kingdom of God.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  “I quit working for God and I said I'll never open a door again.” - Tim Timmons "Sorrow sobers us and gives us a perspective we've never had before." - Tim Timmons “My ministry is just being a re-presenter of the heart of God everywhere I am in the mundane and in the freaking awesome.” - Tim Timmons "Once I stop working for [God] and just start hanging out with Him, I just become more beautiful." - Tim Timmons   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Waking Up Again by Tim Timmons and Hilary Timmons Tim's website "I Can Only Imagine 2" — the movie Tim is featured in *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Tim Timmons’ website Tim Timmons’ Facebook Tim Timmons’ Instagram Tim Timmons’ X Tim Timmons’ YouTube channel   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

What if the problem isn’t that you don’t know enough, but that you’re trying to change alone? In this episode of The Pivot Podcast, Andrew sits down with psychiatrist and author Dr. Curt Thompson to explore the intersection of neuroscience, faith, and emotional healing. Together, they unpack why anxiety is often rooted in the feeling of being alone in our suffering and how real transformation happens through connection, not just information. Drawing from interpersonal neurobiology, Curt explains how relationships shape the brain and why healing from trauma, shame, and painful memories requires safe, consistent community.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  “Anxiety is ultimately about my perception that I am being left alone with myself in my suffering.” - Dr. Curt Thompson “We think information will transform us, but that’s not how the brain works.” - Dr. Curt Thompson “The brain becomes less anxious when it is connected to other people.” - Dr. Curt Thompson “It takes about less than three seconds for shame to encode… a remembered event of joy takes 60 to 90 seconds.” - Dr. Curt Thompson   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: The Soul of Shame by Dr. Curt Thompson  The Soul of Desire by Dr. Curt Thompson Center for Being Known, Dr. Curt Thompson’s organization   New Story Behavioral Health, Dr. Curt Thompson’s clinical practice  *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Curt Thompson’s Website Curt Thompson’s Facebook Curt Thompson’s Instagram Curt Thompson’s X   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.

In this episode of The Pivot, Andrew Osenga sits down with physician and author Lydia Dugdale to explore the surprising wisdom found in confronting mortality. Drawing from her book The Lost Art of Dying, Lydia shares what centuries-old traditions, modern medicine, and her experiences as a doctor in New York City have taught her about death, dignity, and living well. From pandemic hospital tents to ancient reflections on the “art of dying,” this conversation wrestles with life’s biggest questions and invites listeners to consider how an awareness of our finite days can lead to a richer, more meaningful life.   Thought-Provoking Quotes:  “If you actually live your life aware of your finitude—aware that your days are numbered—then you live into the fullness of life in a different way.” - Lydia Dugdale “The idea is there’s an art of dying. There’s a way that we think about living well to the end so that we die well, but that doesn’t just happen right at the end.” - Lydia Dugdale “I thought that normal people talked about death because there’s nothing you can do about it. We’re all going to die, so you might as well anticipate it.” - Lydia Dugdale "It's just a fact of life. We're all gonna die—get over it—[so how] are you gonna lean into the fullness of life with that reality?" - Lydia Dugdale “I have taken care of enough patients who reach the end of their lives and they are scared out of their wits because they have never wrestled with these questions.” - Lydia Dugdale   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: The Lost Art of Dying by Lydia Dugdale *Watch this interview on Andrew’s YouTube channel!   *All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.    Guest’s Links:  Lydia Dugdale’s Website   Connect with Andrew:  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram How to Remember by Andrew Osenga Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga   *The Pivot is produced in conjunction with Four Eyes Media.