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Our apologetics series continues this week as we sit down with Pastor Jim to explore the reliability of Scripture. Following last week's discussion on the existence of God, we turn to the question of whether the Bible can be trusted. In upcoming episodes, we'll also tackle questions about suffering and even the existence of aliens. Through these conversations, we hope to strengthen your faith and equip you to thoughtfully engage with questions from your congregation, friends, family, and neighbors.

Pastor Jim has long made apologetics a regular part of his preaching at Central Assembly. In this four-week series, he returns to some familiar questions and takes up a few new ones: Does God exist? Can the Bible be trusted? Why is there suffering? Could there be aliens? The series also explores how apologetics is changing and the questions people are asking now.

Pastor Jim and I reference our trips to Israel all the time. It's a place we both love, and one that's been largely closed to visitors these last few years. We had a rare chance to sit down with Dr. Wave Nunnally, who we've both studied under in Israel, along with one of his close friends and Israeli tour guides, Yoav Rotem. We talk about what makes studying in Israel so valuable, and we ask them the questions people are asking about the war.

Today we’re talking about book recommendations for new believers, but the conversation quickly expands into a broader discussion about reading itself. What role should reading play in the life of a Christian? How can books deepen our faith, sharpen our thinking, and help us grow in wisdom? We also explore practical ways to cultivate stronger reading habits and develop the discipline to read more thoughtfully and consistently.

Anyone who preaches regularly faces the temptation to return to what they already know. Sometimes repetition is unavoidable. Other times, it may be a sign that we need more preparation or need to stretch our own learning. In today’s episode, Pastor Jim and I continue our conversation on preaching. We discuss repetition, why preachers fall into familiar patterns, and how to stay fresh in the pulpit after years of preaching.

This isn't the first time we've discussed AI on the podcast, but things are changing fast. Nearly everyone, pastors included, has seen the advice and marketing about how AI will transform their work. But while the tools keep getting better and faster, how we should use AI in pastoring and preaching remains an open question with complicated ethical considerations. In today's episode, Pastor Jim and I explore how we're actually using AI, and where it can help and where it can hurt.

We're taking a few weeks to talk about preaching, and this week we have a great question from a listener that takes us into a conversation on preaching themes, voice, and learning to embrace who you are as a preacher. We hope it's a helpful conversation for anyone who is regularly preaching, teaching, or reflecting on the themes of their life's work.

While the scriptures often direct our attention to how we spend money and our motivations for generosity, the topic can be uncomfortable for some people. In today’s episode, Pastor Jim describes why generosity matters and how church leaders can cultivate generosity in honest and transparent ways. It’s a helpful conversation for those responsible for teaching and for all who seek to live a more generous life.

We live in an age of distraction. From our phones to twenty-four-hour news cycles, there's always something competing for our attention. It affects us as leaders and also as Christians. Our attention can be hijacked, and our eyes pulled toward worthless things. In today's episode, Pastor Jim offers advice for cultivating deeper focus and explores why distraction is one of the discipleship challenges of our age.

For more than 9 years, Pastor Jim served as the General Secretary of the Assemblies of God. In today's episode, we look back on that time and discuss lessons he learned from that work and what surprised him most. As the General Secretary, Pastor Jim oversaw the credentials of close to 40,000 ministers, giving him a unique perspective on the calling, challenges, and trends in pastoral leadership. We hope the conversation gives you a similar perspective and perhaps new motivation to pray for those who bear the responsibility of guiding our fellowship.

This weekend, as our nation celebrates its 250th year, Pastor Jim explores what it means to be patriotic, why we can be grateful for this nation, and how we can lead in praying for the decades to come.

There are those who see ambition as only a virtue and others who see it as pure vice. Is it good to be ambitious, or is it a dangerous self-obsession? Perhaps most importantly, how should faith impact ambition? In our conversation today, Pastor Jim explores the real meaning of ambition and how Christians should think about hard work, goals, and the work it takes to do great things. We hope the conversation helps you pursue all that God has for your life with clarity and better wisdom.

Surrounded by conflicts and controversy, there can be a lot of pressure to speak, whether you're a Christian in a workplace or a pastor speaking to a congregation. The Bible encourages both holding the tongue and the courage to be bold with the truth. It takes wisdom to discern the moment and when God is asking us to speak and when he is asking us to remain silent. In this week's episode, we're exploring the question of how leaders can cultivate the discernment to steward their voice in a noisy and chaotic culture. Pastor Jim offers some practical advice for finding a way forward.

Many are reporting on an unexpected spiritual awakening in our culture. More people are exploring the Christian faith than before, and more are open to spiritual conversations. But how can the church steward this moment well? And what does discipleship look like in an age of awakening? Pastor Jim explores the realities of the moment we're in and offers both encouragement and warnings for leading in this cultural moment.

We increasingly live in an age of skepticism. People do not trust institutions, and often they do not trust the church or pastors. Moral failures and corrupted leaders have violated the trust of many followers. But trust is one of the foundations of a healthy and vibrant community. In this episode, Pastor Jim describes how leaders can build trust, how they can lose trust, and why trust matters for the communities we're a part of.