In 2021, I recorded 33 episodes of the Influence Podcast with as many interviewees, most of them authors of books. Here’s a complete list of this year’s conversations! If you have authors you’d like me to interview, or topics you’d … Continue reading 2021: A Year of Podcasts
America is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. Data from nations similar to the U.S. suggest that the epidemic is actually a global problem. And while it would be nice to blame loneliness on social restrictions related to COVID, the uptick … Continue reading The Loneliness Epidemic | Book Review
“At your greatest point of injustice is your greatest opportunity for Christlikeness,” writes Brian Noble. Christ reconciled us to God on the Cross and gave us what Paul calls “the ministry of reconciliation” in 2 Corinthians 5:19. The Church’s job … Continue reading How to Reconcile with Others | Influence Podcast
J. I. Packer’s Knowing God was the first serious work of theology I read. It was my entrée into the Reformed evangelical tradition. While I am not and never have been a Calvinist, I still find Knowing God a helpful … Continue reading Pointing to the Pasturelands | Book Review
In the 1992 vice presidential debate, James Stockdale opened his remarks by asking, “Who am I? Why am I here?” The audience laughed, but his questions were (and are) serious. They concern identity and mission, respectively. This new year, many pastors are … Continue reading The Flourishing Pastor | Book Review
Gaza Conflict 2021 charts the causes, conflicts, and consequences of the May 10–21, 2021 war between Israel and Hamas, the de facto sovereign of the Gaza Strip. Its author, Jonathan Schanzer, is senior vice president at Foundation for Defense of … Continue reading Gaza Conflict 2021 | Book Review
Better Off Dead is the 26th action-and-adventure novel featuring Jack Reacher and written by Lee Child. Or rather, it is written by Lee and his younger brother Andrew Grant, who here takes the pen name of Andrew Child. This is … Continue reading Better Off Dead | Book Review
“All of us long for Easy Street,” writes Stephen Blandino. “It’s paved with comfort and lined with safety. It travels through the trouble-free hills of security, and its road signs point to a pain-free destination where blessings abound.” There’s only … Continue reading Trading Easy Street for a Life That Counts
The Dark Hours is Michael Connelly’s 36th novel, the fourth featuring LAPD late-shift detective, Renée Ballard. In it, Ballard investigates two crimes with the help of Harry Bosch, former LAPD homicide detective, now private investigator. The first crime involves a … Continue reading The Dark Hours | Book Review
It is often said that ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. I appreciate the point of the metaphor, which is that pastors need a sustainable pace of service. Even so, I wonder whether the comparison is too fast. The past 21 months of ministry haven’t felt … Continue reading Plod On | Influence Magazine
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