The Ride Home with John and Kathy

The NFL Draft: Jim is at the Steelers’ offices… GUEST Jim Wexell … is in his 30th season covering the Pgh Steelers and has spent more than 40 yrs covering Pgh sports (since graduating from Pitt in 1983) … his latest book is “Pittsburgh Steelers: An Illustrated Timeline” … other works include “Polamalu,” “On the Clock,” and “Steeler Nation,” and has covered the team in 4 SuperBowls www.steelcityinsider.com

Sin: approaching it as a believer … GUEST Kurt Bjorklund … Lead pastor, Orchard Hill Church.

Festival of Faith & Writing: biennial festival at Calvin Univ (Gr Rapids, MI) … GUEST Dr Nadya Williams … Books Editor at Mere Orthodoxy, Interim Director of the MFA in Creative Writing at Ashland University … author of 3 books, incl “Christians Reading Classics”

The Pittsburgh Christian Prom … GUEST Lemuel Wilson.

The President v the Pope… GUEST Dr Charles Camosy … Prof at the Catholic Univ of America in the nation’s capitol … Charlie taught at the Creighton Univ School of Medicine and in Fordham Univ’s theology department, & is author of “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.

NFL draft and trafficking ... GUEST Joe Sweeney, founder and CEO of The Asservo Project ... Joe is a former SWAT operator, Bomb Squad Commander, & US govt Explosive Security Specialist ... also: The mission of The Asservo Project is to combat global human trafficking and sexual predators, support the recovery of victims, and aid in the imprisonment of perpetrators.

Living overseas and returning Home … 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.

This Week in the Nation’s Capitol (Iran war … + … House GOP blocks surveillance act … + … Trump to attend WH Correspondent’s Dinner Sat for 1st time ever)… GUEST Greg Clugston … SRN News White House Correspondent.

Celebrating God our Founder at America’s 250th Birthday (new book) & Natl Day of Prayer at Christ Church at Gr Farm (May 7, 6:30pm … GUEST Cynthia Scott … has led prayer initiatives across Pgh and beyond and has written numerous prayer guides.

Beth Moore on life after the SBC: and why she never could quit Jesus … GUEST Bob Smietana … national reporter for RNS based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion and the changing religious landscape … author of “Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters”

The Quiet Absurdity of Modern Day Baby Showers … Katie Noble … author of the new book, “Motherhood and the Good Life: Building a Gospel Narrative for Early Motherhood in the Modern Age”

Between Hurry and Heaven: Recovering Purpose and Presence in a Distracted Age … GUEST A. Trevor Sutton is a pastor, professor, speaker, and author of “Redeeming Technology: A Christian Approach to Healthy Digital Habits”

The resurrection of Christ as the Beginning of the End of this world …. GUEST Rev Tom Soroka … St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKees Rocks.

Why don’t people say what’s really going on inside them, but often they speak about symptoms instead and a documentary I have co- created about black evangelicals … GUEST Dr. Vincent Bacote … internationally recognized scholar, speaker, and author, as well as Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College.

Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity … GUEST Matthew Avery Sutton … Distinguished Prof and Dept chair in History at Washington State Univ … author of several books on the history of American Christianity, incl “Double Crossed,” and “American Apocalypse” … he lives in Pullman WA.

Sin: approaching it as a believer … GUEST Kurt Bjorklund … Lead pastor, Orchard Hill Church.

The Faith Community in Pgh … GUEST Rev Liddy Barlow … Executive Minister of Christian Associates of Southwest PA.

Freely Sober: Rethinking Alcohol Through the Lens of Faith … GUEST Ericka Andersen … freelance writer, podcast host and owner of Pitch and Publish Writing Company … author of "Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church & the Church Needs Women" and "Leaving Cloud 9: The True Story of a Life Resurrected From the Ashes of Poverty, Trauma and Mental Illness” … she’s a weekly columnist at WORLD Magazine and a freelance reporter for Christianity Today.

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

When the Journey Hurts: Finding Healing in Suffering for Heart, Mind and Soul (new book) … GUEST Dr Kelly Kapic … Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA.

Sitting around the Table: A family practice … 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.

Right Now in your Garden: too early for tender crops … + … get the garden in shape now for May planting … planting things now … + … What to do about wild violets … + … Time to start working on the lawn … GUEST Doug Oster … Editor, Gardening with Doug.

Edith Stein — A Sure Way: Following Truth in a World on Fire (new book) … GUEST Carolyn Beard.

Artemis II… GUEST Ralph Crewe … Head Writer & Producer for Practical Engineering and co-boss of Nerd Nite Pittsburgh … a generally Curious Person.

The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity… 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”

Supreme Court rescinds Colorado’s ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban in 8-1 Decision … GUEST: Jeff Johnston … culture and policy analyst for Focus on the Family and a staff writer for the Daily Citizen.

The levels of honest response to “How are you?”… 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,” and her newest “Start with a Word: On the Craft and Adventure of Writing”

Welcome Back, Church Plantings… 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”

Truth Rising, Speaking topic at the Friends of the Family Banquet … GUEST John Stonestreet … author and speaker, and President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and host of BreakPoint, a nationally syndicated Christian worldview radio program founded by Chuck Colson … his work focuses on faith, culture, theology, worldview, education, and apologetics and has co-authored books such as "A Practical Guide to Culture"

I Am Barrabbas: At the heart of Easter is the story of the innocent dying for the guilty… 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)” … writes at ‘One Little Word’ on substack.

Searching for the perfect Lamb … GUEST Rev Bill Glaze ... Bethany Baptist Church, Homewood.

Iran in a Lyft … GUEST Dr Carmen Joy Imes … Assoc professor of Old Testament at Biola Univ and author of “Becoming God’s Family: why the Church still Matters,” (new book) and “Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters” .… GUEST Carmen Joy Imes … Associate professor of Old Testament at Biola Univ and author, most recently, of “Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters”

“Immersive Attention:” Learning to fix a sustained gaze on Jesus during Holy Week … GUEST Josh Brown … Lead Pastor, Bellefield Presbyterian Church.

Suffering: Teacher of wisdom … GUEST Rev Dr Dean Weaver ... Stated Clerk of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church ... co-founder and former president of EduNations.

Pascha: coming up the week after Easter (worshipping from midnight to 2:30 or 3am then feasting till dawn. Every Christian should do Pascha at least once in their life) … 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"

Noah’s flood: fact or fiction? ... GUEST Astrophysicist & author Dr Hugh Ross … senior scholar & founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization that researches & communicates how discoveries about nature harmonize w the words of the Bible … his books include “The Creator & the Cosmos,” “Why the Universe Is the Way It Is,” and “Improbable Planet”

Are we losing our ability to Mourn? How secularism erodes the Church’s observing of the death & resurrection of Christ … GUEST Rev Jay Slocum … rector, St Thomas Anglican Church, Gibsonia.

Considering Sparrows: What Birds teach us about Who we Are, Where we’re Going, and the Joy of Following Jesus ... GUEST Kevin Burrell ... is a pastor and an orni-theologist — a word penned by the theologian & birder John Stott … Kevin is convinced that every one of us should make an effort to attend toward some aspect of God's creation; and he has chosen birds … he lives in NC.

Time and eternity and "it is finished" … 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 co-author 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.

Time and eternity and "it is finished" … 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 co-author 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”

Meta and YouTube must pay millions in damages to a 20-year-old woman after a jury decided the social media giant and video streamer designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. … GUEST Prof Bruce Antkowiak … law professor at St Vincent College.

Getting started w your Spring garden (St. Paddy’s day pea planting with the grand kids … + … planting outdoors now, dangers of starting too early … + … indoor seed starting … + … planning now for fall planting? … GUEST Doug Oster … Editor, Gardening with Doug.

Considering Sparrows: What Birds teach us about Who we Are, Where we’re Going, and the Joy of Following Jesus (new book) ... GUEST Kevin Burrell ... is a pastor and an orni-theologist — a word penned by the theologian & birder John Stott … Kevin is convinced that every one of us should make an effort to attend toward some aspect of God's creation; and he has chosen birds … he lives in NC.