The Ride Home with John and Kathy

4:10 PM - Nativity scenes by governments, Establishment clause stuff .… GUEST Prof Bruce Antkowiak … law professor at St Vincent College.

4:35 PM - The joy I didn’t expect on a Saturday morning … GUEST Amy Julia Becker … helps people reimagine the good life through her writing and speaking on disability, faith, and culture at amyjuliabecker.com …author of “To Be Made Well,” “White Picket Fences,” “Small Talk,” and “A Good and Perfect Gift” … guest opinion writer for national publications and hosts the Reimagining the Good Life podcast.

5:10 PM - The Gospel acc to Scrooge … GUEST Rev Jay Slocum … rector, St Thomas Anglican Church, Gibsonia.

4:10 PM - Christmas on the screen … GUEST Abby Olcese (ol-CHESS-ee)… writer on film, pop culture and faith … she’s written for Think Christian and RogerEbert.com (she’s from Kansas City) … author of “Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies”

5:10 PM - Focus on the Family Year End Giving … GUEST John Fuller … cohost of the Focus on the Family broadcast heard by million around the country … also heard on Focus on the Family Minute, Focus on the Family Marriage podcast and Focus parenting podcast … author of “First-time Dad: the stuff you Really need to Know”

Amid Holiday Busyness, Remember How God Worked This Year … GUEST Jared Kennedy … managing editor for books and curriculum for The Gospel Coalition … also series editor for TGC’s Hard Questions series and author of books like “The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible” and “The Story of Martin Luther”

Skillet Christmas single gets controversy-driven Billboard boost … GUEST Kathryn Post … Pittsburgh-based reporter for RNS covering topics such as Gen Z spirituality, pop culture and abuse in religious contexts … her writing has appeared in the WashPost, Sojourners, the Christian Century, Broadview Magazine and more.

Conquering the Lion in the Streets: Getting the victory over excuses that keep us from our God-given Potential (new book) … GUEST Rev Bill Glaze ... Bethany Baptist Church, Homewood.

Goodbye “Big Eva,” Hello “Gig Eva” (from First Things) … GUEST Dr Carl R Trueman … professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center … His most recent book is “Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity.

The first week of the spiritual exercises: God loves me … GUEST Marina Berzins McCoy … professor at Boston College, where she teaches philosophy and in the BC PULSE service-learning program … author of “The Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness.

The Church in Ukraine: one pastor’s perspective… GUEST Pastor Zhenya.

M Egypt’s redemption and Ours… GUEST Myles Werntz … Director of Baptist Studies and Associate Professor of Theology, Abilene Christian Univ … his substack is Taking off and Landing: explorations of the Moral Life.

A Christmas Message for Those Sore Afraid: the intimidating Santa in my kdg classroom whispered an important part of the Christmas message: 'Do not be afraid.'… GUEST Dr Richard Mouw ... Professor of faith & public life at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, where he served as president for 20 yrs ... He has written numerous books, incl “Adventures in Evangelical Civility,” “Uncommon Decency,” “Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport,”“The Smell of Sawdust,” and the newest “Restless Faith: Holding evangelical beliefs in a world of Contested Labels”.

Singing Christmas Songs During Advent is Bad for Our Spiritual Health … GIEST David O Taylor … theologian, author, speaker, priest, & Assoc Prof of Theology & Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary … author of “Prayers for the Pilgrimage: A Book of Collects for All of Life,” “Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life ,” and the upcoming “To Set the World Aflame: How Artists Bear Witness to the Fullness of God's Creation”

Practical Engineering: Hurricane v Tiny House … GUEST Ralph Crewe … Head Writer & Producer for Practical Engineering and co-boss of Nerd Nite Pittsburgh … a generally Curious Person.

The Family of Abraham: Ch 1 of Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church still matters (new book)… GUEST Dr Carmen Joy Imes … Assoc professor of Old Testament at Biola Univ and author of “Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters”

How to drive and survive in Pgh this Winter … GUEST Yasmeen Manyisha … Penn Dot Safety Press Officer, District 11.

 For the Love of Women: Uprooting and healing Misogyny in America … GUEST Dorothy Little Greco ... writer & photographer who lives outside Boston ... The author of "Making Marriage Beautiful," and most recently, “Marriage in the Middle: Embracing Midlife Surprises, Challenges & Joys” … Dorothy & her husband lead marriage workshops/retreats, speak at conferences nationwide.

The Night Everything Didn’t Change.... GUEST Chris Martin ... author of “Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media” … and most recently, “The Wolf in Their Pockets: 13 Ways the Social Internet Threatens the People You Lead” … his substack is chrismartinfyi … Chris lives outside Nashville w his family.

When Grief like Sea Billows Roll Through Your Holidays… GUEST Daniel Darling … author of several books, including ”The Dignity Revolution,” “The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus,” and “The Characters of Easter: The Villains, Heroes, Cowards, and Crooks Who Witnessed History's Biggest Miracle (newest book)”

GUEST Frederica Mathewes-Green .. she's the author of "The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God," and "Welcome to the Orthodox Church: an Introduction to Eastern Christianity"

It’s Here: Gen-Z Revival Hits Campuses This Fall ... GUEST Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra… senior writer and faith-&-work editor for The Gospel Coalition … also coauthor of “Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age” and editor of “Social Sanity in an Insta World.

Advent & the 12 days of Christmas: How keeping those two separate provides numerous spiritual and practical benefits ... GUEST Cap Stewart ... author of the curriculum 'Personal Purity Isn’t Enough: The Long-Forgotten Secret to Making Scriptural Entertainment Choices' ... he writes at Unpop Culture.

The Pope and patriarch in Turkey … GUEST Fr Tom Soroka … St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKees Rock.

This Week in the Nation’s  Capitol … GUEST Greg Clugston … SRN  News White House correspondent.

How Should the Church  Approach Third-Wayism? … GUEST Rev Kurt Bjorklund ... Senior Pastor, Orchard Hill Church.

The Incarnation: the beginning of the Passion of Christ … GUEST Kathy Keller ... formerly served as assistant director of communications for Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC ... She is the author of "Jesus, Justice, & Gender Roles: A Case for Gender Roles in Ministry" and coauthor with her husband, Tim, of "The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God” … new book based on Tim’s sermons is coming out, “What Is Wrong with the World?: The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid”

4:10 PM - Advent: adopting new intentional rhythms to focus our hearts and minds on the Lord … GUEST Rev Josh Brown … Pastor, Bellefield Presby Church, Oakland.

4:35 PM - New faces at the Thanksgiving table … GUEST Anne Kennedy ...author of “Nailed It: 365 Sarcastic Devotionals for Angry and Worn Out People” ... She blogs everyday at her substack “Demotivations w Anne”.

5:10 PM to 5:25 PM Time for Gratitude: and how we humans occupy time … + … the influence paying attention to both can have on transforming us into Jesus' likeness … … GUEST Dr Curt Thompson … psychiatrist in private practice in Falls Church, VA ... author of “The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves” and "The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community".

5:35 PM - How to spend time with family and have loving, multi-generational convos during holiday gatherings without dishing out guilt trips, political treatises, unsolicited advice, etc? … GUEST Lisa

Anderson … Director of Boundless and Young Adults at Focus on the Family, and hosts “The Boundless Show” weekly podcast and radio show.

This Week in the Nation’s Capitol (Ukraine Peace Plan … + … Head- spinning politics [Mamdani & Marjorie Taylor Greene … + … Dems video to military about “illegal orders”) … GUEST Greg Clugston … SRN News White House correspondent.

“Whodunnit? Who Killed Jesus?” based on Acts (1. those who plotted his death, 2. the ones who executed Christ, 3. the people that Jesus died for, and 4. God who ordained this plan … GUEST Dr Barry York … Professor of Pastoral Theology and Dean of Faculty at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary … In 2018, he also became RPTS President.

Thanksgiving, Advent and Living Jubilee … GUEST Rev Terry Timm … Christ Community Church of the South Hills.

Cookies and Cancer: What a Party… GUEST Diana Thomi … is a nurse and medical professional who began helping her mom after her cancer diagnosis … her experiences led to the founding of Victory in the Valley, Inc, a nonprofit comprehensive cancer support organization that provides free support services to over 100,000 cancer patients and families across Kansas each year … GUEST Janet Eldridge … Executive Assistant at Lewis & Associates.

Putting the Garden to Bed: still planting trees, shrubs, bulbs … + … How houseplants clean the air … + … Amaryllis and paperwhites … GUEST Doug Oster … Editor, Gardening with Doug

Political acrimony in DC … GUEST Paul J McNulty ... spent over 30 yrs in  Washington DC as an attorney in public  service and private practice ... In 2005, the  US Senate unanimously confirmed Paul  McNulty to the position of Deputy Attorney  General, the second in command at the US  Department of Justice, and the Chief Operating Officer of the department’s 100,000 employees … he’s also just finished his tenure as the 9th president of Grove City College.

75 Vintage Songs to Help You Savor the Joy of the Season… GUEST Brett McCracken … senior editor & director of communications at The Gospel Coalition … author of “The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding your soul in a post truth world” - and - “Uncomfortable: the awkward and essential challenge of Christian community”

Gender: in politics, trans identities, marketing, clothing, food, and dating … GUEST Dr Fellipe Do Vale … Tutor in Theology and Lead Tutor for Academic Inclusion, Trinity College Bristol .. author of the upcoming, “Living a theology of gender: how to love our gendered world”

The Art of Asking Better Questions: Pursuing strong relationships, healthier leadership, and Deeper Faith… GUEST J.R. Briggs … founder of Kairos Partnerships and serves on staff with the Ecclesia Network and Fresh Expressions … his books include “The Sacred Overlap,” and “Eldership and the Mission of God”

Jimmy Kimmel's wife opens up about 'lost' relationships with Trump-supporting families … GUEST Dr Tim Muehlhoff ... Prof of Communication at Biola Univ & Sr Director of the Winsome Conviction Project ... author of “Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church,”

The Locust Years… GUEST Paul Pastor is a poet, writer, & editor from OR … His work uncovers the inner life of the world, as experienced in nature, literature, and the rich traditions of historic Christian spirituality … author of several books, including “Bower Lodge: Poems,” “A Kids Book About God,” The Listening Day series, and “The Face of the Deep”

Living and Dying Well … GUEST Dr Charles Camosy … Prof at the Catholic University of America in the nation’s capitol … author of 7 books, incl “Beyond the Abortion Wars,” and “Resisting Throwaway Culture” … his most recent book is “Living and Dying Well: A Catholic Plan for Resisting Physician-Assisted Killing” … Charlie advises the Faith Outreach office of the Humane Society of the US & the pro-life commission of the Archdiocese of NY.

Makers By Nature: Letters from a master painter on faith, hope, and art… GUEST Bruce Herman … painter, writer, and speaker … His art has been exhibited internationally and is in public and private collections worldwide … He taught studio art for nearly four decades at Gordon College, where he held the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts.

This Week in the Nation’s Capitol (Shutdown update … + … shutdown impact … + … Trump threatens to sue BBC … + … Trump attends NFL game & Greg was in the press booth) … GUEST Greg Clugston … SRN News White House correspondent.

Food and food insecurity in the holiday season: biblical focus on food as metaphor, sacrament, and daily necessity … GUEST Marilyn McEntyre … writer, prof, speaker … award-winning author of multiple books on language & faith, incl “Where the Eye Alights,” “Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict,” “Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies”

Nervous Systems: Spiritual practices to calm Anxiety in your Body, the Church, and Politics (new book) … GUEST Sara Billups … writer and cultural commentator w bylines in NYT, and CT … writes “Bitter Scroll” on substack and cohosts the podcast That’s the Spirit.

How do we look at death? … GUEST Dr Richard Mouw ... Professor of faith and public life at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, where he served as president for 20 yrs ... He has written numerous books, including “Adventures in Evangelical Civility,” “Uncommon Decency,” “Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport,”“The Smell of Sawdust,” and the newest “Restless Faith: Holding evangelical beliefs in a world of Contested Labels”

What’s good to watch?… GUEST Abby Olcese… writer on film, pop culture and faith … she’s written for Think Christian and RogerEbert.com (she’s from Kansas City) … author of “Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies”