A discussion about divorce and death

"No one shows up at the door with casseroles when your no-good husband abandons you. You're an embarrassment and you're also embarrassed, and people wonder about what kind of wife you really were. Death would have been so much easier than this."[1] I read this quote online where people were debating the difference between divorce and the death of a spouse. It’s pretty insightful. 

Tonight, we’re continuing our discussion with Steve Grissom, the creator of the DivorceCare program that has helped over a million people navigate the car wreck that is divorce. We’ll discuss this comparison as well as the GriefShare program Steve started to help people grieving the death of a loved one. 

Helping people navigate the trauma of divorce

Divorce is like a car wreck, including the same traumatic effects on the body and emotions. We don't treat it that way, but we should. This is a sobering observation from tonight’s guest, Steve Grissom, the creator of DivorceCare – a program that has helped over one million people navigate divorce. Steve joins us to discuss the many things he’s learned over the past three decades helping people experiencing this trauma as well as people suffering through other types of loss.

Divorce - An attorney's perspective

There are roughly 750,000 divorces in the U.S. each year affecting well over a million people. The vast majority of these separations are ugly, terribly painful, and force people to make a host of major decisions under duress.

Tonight, we’ll get a divorce attorney’s perspective on divorce. We’ll be talking to Dana Carlson, a partner at the Hale Ball law firm in Fairfax, VA. I was pointed to Dana this past year while helping a friend navigate a divorce along with other serious issues, like depression and alcoholism. During a handful of interactions, I was struck by Dana’s competence, compassion, and how available he made himself to the cause of helping my friend. I figured, who better to help us get a sense for the challenges faced by divorce lawyers.

A call to justice

It seems like the term social justice has become a four-letter word for some people.  This is rather odd, especially among Christians.  Whether it’s God’s Old Testament call for a mighty flood of justice or Jesus challenging us to serve the least of these, the Bible is continually promoting justice.

Tonight, we’re joined by Adam Russell Taylor, the President of Sojourners, an organization promoting faith in action for social justice for 50 years.  Adam has had an interesting career promoting justice and other causes while working at places like the World Bank Group, World Vision, and the White House.  He’s the author of two books including a soon-to-be-released work called A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community.  Adam joins us to talk about the Biblical call to promote justice and what that looks like. 

Leadership development - Part 2

There seems to be a serious void in leadership today.  Tribalism, self-righteousness, contempt and dishonesty are far too common among our government, business, and even church leaders.  What can we do to address this problem?

Tonight we continue our discussion with the President of The Trinity Forum, an organization working to transform society through the character and spiritual development of our leaders.  Cherie Harder joined the forum in 2008 following a career in government that included stints at the White House and Congress.  Cherie joins us to talk about the Forum and the most important insight’s they’ve gained about leadership from their work with leading Christian thinkers. 

Fostering the spiritual and character development of leaders

There seems to be a serious void in leadership today.  Tribalism, self-righteousness, contempt and dishonesty are far too common among our government, business, and even church leaders.  What can we do to address this problem?

Tonight’s guest is the President of The Trinity Forum, an organization working to transform society through the character and spiritual development of our leaders.  Cherie Harder joined the forum in 2008 following a career in government that included stints at the White House and Congress.  Cherie continues our discussion about the Trinity Forum and the most important insights they’ve gained about leadership from their work with leading Christian thinkers. 

Hometown compassion and justice

A few months back, an Arlington county student told his teacher that his family had been evicted from their home and that they desperately needed financial help or would find themselves on the street.  The teacher notified her church, who immediately contacted an Arlington non-profit that specializes in addressing urgent needs, and within 24 hours the family had a down payment for a new rental property.  When I heard about this I thought, wow, what great story about people working together to swiftly and effectively address a critical need in their community. 

Tonight, we’re joined by Anna Maia, the Director of Compassion and Justice Initiatives at Grace Community Church in Arlington, VA and one of the people involved in helping this family. Anna works with local and global partners to create unusual opportunities for church members to serve people in Arlington and around the world. She’s going to tell us about some of these efforts and how listeners can get involved.

Combating toxic polarization

In the 10 months since I first interviewed tonight’s guest, our country has been rocked by COVID-19, racial unrest, economic collapse, an assault on truth, and the attack on Congress.  It would seem obvious to conclude that these things added to the already considerable gaps that separate Americans.  

Andrew Hanauer is the President and CEO of One America Movement, an organization founded after the 2016 election to fight polarization.  Among other things, One America brings people together across political, racial and religious divides to work on issues that matter to both sides – like poverty and the opioid epidemic.  Andy joins us to talk about the effectiveness of One America’s programs and to share, I hope, a glimmer of hope. 

A shocking story of childhood sexual abuse

“There wasn’t a day in my childhood that I can remember that I wasn’t abused.” This is the opening line of a book written by tonight’s guest about being sexually abused by his father for 12 years. Dr. Gregory Williams is on the administrative leadership team at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He’s also the author of Shattered by the Darkness: Putting the Pieces Back Together After Child Abuse, and he hosts the Breaking the Silence video podcast. Greg joins us to share his experiences, talk about his decision to forgive his father, and offer advice for people suffering from abuse.

Being a grace lobbyist

Last month, I was interviewed by Greg Williams on his Breaking the Silence video podcast. Among other things, we discussed the realness, super-power, and practicality of God’s grace; the importance of self-reflection; and the need for each of us to be a grace lobbyist. This is the audio portion of the second half of the video interview.

Some Christmas Music

Tonight’s program is all Christmas music. I’ll be playing a number of songs from one of my all-time favorite albums, Christmas with the Canadian Brass and the Great Organ of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. I’ll also sprinkle in some of my favorite Christmas choral music from the New York Choral Artists and the Westminster Cathedral Choir. Enjoy, and have a wonderful Christmas.

Insights from a master storyteller and media expert

Tonight’s guest is a gifted storyteller, as evidenced by the 15 Emmys he’s won. Nick Nanton has interviewed, produced documentaries about, and worked on other projects with notable people like Sir Richard Branson, Steve Forbes, Larry King, and will.i.am. He’s the co-founder of DNA, a full-service media, marketing and PR agency, and the largest personal branding agency in the world – representing more than 3000 clients in 60 countries. Nick joins us tonight to share his story along with insights into how to succeed in a media-saturated world.

Politics done with grace and truth

Christian politics minus the Gospel equals 2020 America.  These are the words of Justin Giboney, an attorney, political activist, and co-founder of the AND Campaign, an organization working to get Christians to do politics more faithfully.  Justin joins us to talk about his work, the upcoming election, and his book Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.

Creating transformational relationships on demand

Tonight’s guest learned firsthand about the transformational power of relationships after a chance meeting super-charged his career.  He later decided to develop an approach to creating powerful relationships on demand.  James Carbary is the founder of Sweet Fish Media and the author of Content-Based Networking: How to Instantly Connect with Anyone You Want to Know.  He’s also the Executive Producer and Co-Host of the B2B Growth Show podcast.  James joins us to share the story of that chance meeting as well as what he’s learned about readily connecting with people you want to build relationships with. 

Evangelicals - Part 2

Tonight’s interview is the second half of last week’s chat with Rob Schenck, a former radical anti-abortion activist who now works to liberate the Evangelical community from the grips of extreme politics, urging Washington conservatives to move beyond tribalism and the politics of hate, fear, and violence.

Has "evangelical" become a four-letter word?

Tonight’s guest has experienced three significant conversions in his life: from Jewish roots to Christianity; from a pure faith to a highly political one; and from the religious right to the simplicity of the Gospel. Once a radical anti-abortion activist, today he works to liberate the evangelical community from the grips of extreme politics and urges Washington conservatives to move beyond tribalism and the politics of hate, fear, and violence. Rob Schenck describes himself as a recovering member of the religious right, and his most recent book, Costly Grace, describes how he broke free from his descent into radical politics through humility, self-reflection, and a return to the essence of the Gospel. 

Being a light in the midst of today's chaos

We are a little over two months away from the presidential election and our country seems to have lost its mind. The unity displayed in the early stages of the pandemic has given way to an absurd level of tribalism and irrational behavior. People with automatic weapons are protesting the “tyranny” of wearing a facemask, new Karen videos seem to surface every day, social unrest seems ever present, and some of our leaders are even promoting a culture of racism, fear and violence in the society they are sworn to protect and serve. What’s a follower of Christ to do? 

We’ll be discussing this tonight with Jonathan Leeman, the editorial director at 9Marks – an organization that equips church leaders with resources for building healthy churches – and the author of How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics for a Divided Age.

Erskin, RBC & U2

Christian music has come a long way in terms of its musicality and appeal. Some people love that, and others not so much. My daughter (Shannon) and I have always been a bit picky about the music we listen to in this genre and I thought it would be fun to play a few of my favorite songs for her and get her reaction. So, feel free to grab a headset or connect to a stereo and enjoy the music. Hang on beyond the 28 minute mark for bonus discussion.

SONGS: 40 by U2, recorded live in Chicago in 2005 (Intro); Black and White by Erskin Anavitarte; Psalm 119 by Reston Bible Church; 40 by U2; Magnificent by U2 (program close).

Sharing Matisyahu

For as long as I can remember, my daughter and I have really enjoyed the worship music at church services, usually sitting in the front row of the sanctuary so we can jam out every week. We have not, though, enjoyed the studio versions of the same songs we hear and sing at church as much. Outside of church, we often listen to less overtly Christian artists and search for meaning and theology in their music. Tonight, we’re going to focus on one of our favorite performers. Matisyahu is a former Hasidic Jew, reggae musician, composer, and beat boxer. We’re going to play a few of his songs and chat about what they have meant to us.

Songs: Surrender, live on Jimmy Kimmel (program intro); Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light); I Will Be Light, live at Stubbs; One Day, live on David Letterman.