For two years, way back in the early Oughts, Kevin and Stephen Witmer were classmates at Gordon-Conwell. That means having Stephen on LBE is long overdue. Listen in as Kevin asks Stephen about two books: Stephen’s earlier book about ministering in small places and his newest book about the poetry of George Herbert. You’ll find that Stephen is a thoughtful, mature, inspiring guide on both subjects. Whether you are interested in New England, small town ministry, poetry, or just thinking about meditation and creativity in pastoral ministry, you will be helped by this edifying episode.

After his excellent book Digital Liturgies (2023), Samuel is back with a new book aimed at young adults called Scroll Less, Live More. Join Kevin and Samuel as they talk through some of the book’s ten habits for recapturing our real embodied lives. In this practical episode, you’ll get some concrete action points to consider, as well as provocative thoughts about the macro ways (and many ways) that screens are shaping all of us.

When someone has pastored the same church for nearly 40 years, you should listen to what he has to say about thriving in ministry. That’s the topic of Joel Beeke’s new book and the focus of this week’s LBE. Listen in as Kevin and Joel talk about the benefit of long-term pastorates, how a pastor might know he’s being called somewhere else, how to maintain healthy rhythms in ministry, how to avoid personal scandal, and why it’s okay for pastors to focus (within reason) on the things they do best.