The Good Book Company Podcast

In his new Advent devotional The Dawn of Redeeming Grace, Sinclair Ferguson opens up the first two chapters of Matthew's Gospel to help you arrive at Christmas Day awed by God's redeeming grace and refreshed by the hope of God's promised king.

As Christians we sometimes feel like we're on another planet to our unbelieving friends and family. Daniel Strange wants to show you that the connections are there—in fact, the longings that our culture cannot help but express are the very ones that Jesus fulfils.

Blair Linne's personal story of growing up without a father at home reflects the experiences of millions. In her new book, Finding my Father she shows us that the gospel promises not just forgiveness but also a place in God's family, experienced in a local church, where they we can enjoy the fullness of his fatherly joy, care, wisdom, provision, protection and security.

At the height of his influence, C.S. Lewis was broadcasting his Mere Christianity lectures to almost 1.5 million people. There is so much we can learn from him. You may feel inadequate to the task of evangelism, but in his new book Randy Newman skillfully helps us to apply the methods Lewis used (storytelling, humour, imagery and more) in our own conversations.

Many people assume that the story of the baby in the manger at Bethlehem is just another made-up fantasy for kids. In this episode we talked to respected apologist Rebecca McLaughlin about the evidence that Jesus was a real person, explaining the reliability of the Bible's accounts of his life and why believing in a virgin birth is not as ridiculous as it might sound.

When children have something on their minds, they tend to run to their parents and caregivers. Wouldn't it be great if they also learned that they can talk to God about anything and everything because Jesus has made that possible? In this episode we chat to Laura Wifler, co-founder of Risen Motherhood about her new kids book Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer.

What if we didn't have to choose between an intelligent faith and a passionate one? Right thinking. Right feeling. Deep thoughts about God...for a deeper experience of God. Too often Christians live their spiritual experience in two distinct camps. In this episode of the podcast we talk to Adam Ramsey about his new book Truth on Fire and his manifesto for gazing at God until our hearts sing.

Andrew Wilson is a pastor and teacher, as well as the author of 1 Corinthians For You, an accessible study guide to one of Paul's most popular epistles. In this podcast we find out why Andrew loves this letter so much, and what we can all learn from how Paul speaks to a church that is at risk of being assimilated into the world, especially when it comes to how we teach and preach on sexuality and other contemporary issues.

It's our 30th anniversary! Joining us on the podcast this time is the founder of The Good Book Company himself, Tim Thornborough. In this episode, Tim opens up the annals of TGBC history, taking us from its unlikely beginning in the front room of his South-West London home, all the way up to our current status as a global Christian publisher, committed to helping believers everywhere open up the Bible for themselves.

Whether mildly, moderately or severely, feeling anxious is something most of us experience at some point in our lives. Helen Thorne, author of Hope in an Anxious World, joins us to talk about her experience of battling anxiety and how to take the first few steps towards a lifetime of change.

The Christian life is hard. We all need encouragement of some kind, and through many years of teaching it Richard Coekin has found Hebrews 11 to be a rich well of refreshment. In this episode we discuss this extraordinary chapter, Richard's role as CEO of the London-wide Co-Mission church-planting network and how churches can navigate this unique season.

God calls us to be "devoted to one another in love" (Romans 12:10). What does this look like for us today? How can we be the kind of church member who makes a real difference? In this episode of the podcast we talk to Tony Merida about what church is, why being part of it is exciting, and why it's worthy of our love and commitment.

Christendom is long gone for American society, and with it many of the familiar moral norms we used to expect from the culture around us. Instead of shrinking back, the church has an historic opportunity to present the goodness and sufficiency of Jesus. Sam Allberry, who has written extensively on sexuality, culture and evangelism discusses how we can engage biblically and thoughtfully with the culture around us with Trevin Wax and Brett McCracken.

This is a special episode of The Good Book Company podcast. In October 2020 we gathered some church leaders to discuss whether online gatherings were really church. You can watch that here: https://youtu.be/xtULcClMHVs A few months on we're hoping and praying that all the restrictions on church life will soon be gone, but what will this "new normal" look like for congregations and what challenges lie ahead? We've gathered a different set of church leaders (Dave Gobbett, John Stevens and Linda Allcock) to discuss it at length. Love Your Church by Tony Merida is a great book for every churchgoer to read, especially as churches start to meet in person after many months of disruption from Covid-19. Whether you're new to your local church or have been attending for some time, this book will re-energise you with God's vision for the local church. Includes a free small group leaders kit - https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/lovechurch

Sarah Walton, co-author of Together Through The Storms: Biblical Encouragements for Your Marriage When Life Hurts, is joined by Jen Wilkin, Vaneetha Reisner, and Courtney Reissig to discuss how to cling to Jesus in your marriage and walk through heavy weather together. This conversation was recorded at The Gospel Coalition's 2021 Women's Conference.

The average woman has 500 periods in her lifetime. And whether yours are mildly annoying, utterly debilitating or emotionally complicated, most of us have at one time or another asked: Why?! Guest host Rebecca McLaughlin interviews author Rachel Jones about her new book on the nature of our bodies, the passing of time, the purpose of pain, and the meaning of life.

Some of the old, familiar truths of the Christian faith are coming under fire by a secular culture which no longer recognises the God of the bible. In this episode we talk to Alistair Begg about his new book Brave by Faith, which looks at the life of Daniel as a guide for having God-sized confidence in an increasingly hostile world.

Chris Morphew is an author, teacher, and school chaplain living in Sydney, Australia. Somehow he has written over 20 novels for children and youth before reaching middle-age. And he's written three more! He joins us on the podcast to talk about Big Questions, his new series of apologetics books for pre-teens/tweens and what that age group needs in order to flourish in such a rapidly changing world.

Somewhere along the way many of us have become burdened by unrealistic expectations of what hospitality is and who can do it. It's not just the reserve of great cooks with big houses. Anyone can and should do it. Carolyn Lacey joins us on the podcast to help us rethink what hospitality actually is - which is to reflect God's welcoming heart no matter what our circumstances look like.

"Failure is being successful in the things that don't matter." In this episode of the podcast we talk to Rico Tice about his new book Faithful Leaders and the Things That Matter Most and why successful ministry means living a consistent Christian life. We also find out about how an influential Maths teacher led him to Christ and how he received his calling to become a full-time evangelist. *This episode was recorded on 12 January 2021