Join D.J. for a conversation with two longtime ministry friends, Matt Capps and Steven Wade, pastors and coauthors of “Shepherding Renewal: A Guide to Church Revitalization.” Breathing new life into dying churches is possible. But how? While they don’t offer any formulas in their book or on this podcast episode, they do offer hope and insights drawn from years of personal experience. Listen in as they share common misconceptions about church revitalization, some of the greatest challenges, and how we should even define church health. From disciple-making to vision-casting to earning a congregation's trust, you don’t want to miss the hard-won wisdom these men have to share about the journey of revitalization.

We all carry wounds—some we caused ourselves, some were inflicted on us by others. And too often, we either try to ignore the pain or we let it become our identity. But what if God wants to redeem what we’ve been through? This week’s podcast guest is Dr. Derwin Gray, author and Lead Pastor of Transformation Church in Indian Land, SC. In his encouraging conversation with D.J., Derwin discusses his latest book, “It’s Time To Heal: Four God-Given Steps to Restore What Life Has Shattered,” as well as his personal testimony of coming to Christ and his own history with seeking his identity in the wrong places. Listen in and discover the truth that we don’t have to let what happened to us hold the pen that writes our future. Healing hurts, but staying unhealed hurts more.

What do you most want to be remembered for as a leader? One thing I love to do on the podcast is give you a little behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be a leader, especially if you care about ministry. That’s why I’m excited to have my good friend Dr. Mike Harder, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Spartanburg, as this week's guest. Mike shares from his personal story of being a missionary kid growing up in South America and his unexpected journey to the pastorate he holds today. You'll definitely want to glean from his wisdom as we discuss key mistakes young pastors make, what it looks like to step into pastoring an already well-established legacy church, and some of the best goals any pastor or leader can set for their life.

Biblical counseling isn’t lying on a couch and letting someone else dive into your mind to fix all of your problems. But what is it, then? This is the topic of discussion with podcast guest Dr. Nicolas Ellen, Senior Pastor of Community of Faith Bible Church in Houston, Texas, and Senior Professor of Biblical Counseling at the College of Biblical Studies. Dr. Ellen offers tremendous wisdom as he defines biblical counseling, shares how his passion for it developed, and discusses some of the most common issues people bring to counseling. He also shares his belief that every Christian is a counselor and why he would love to see more believers become biblical counselors through training like what ACBC, the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, offers. God’s Word is sufficient. It has the power to change lives. Will we apply it?

What does it look like to put Jesus first as a wife, a mom, an entrepreneur, a church member, a woman who wants to represent Jesus well in all her many roles? We’re kicking off this new season of “From the Pulpit to the Pickup” with an incredibly encouraging conversation with Michelle Myers, author, founder of She Works His Way, and Discipleship Director at Biltmore Church. In this week’s episode, Michelle shares how she started her ministry and offers wisdom on disciple-making and how to faithfully walk out God’s call in your life, even in the face of weakness and insecurity. You’ll want to share this episode with your sisters in the faith—wives, mothers, daughters, coworkers—who desire to leverage their gifts for the kingdom.

In this bonus podcast episode, D.J. is speaking with his friend, Josh Powell. As lifelong Southern Baptists, they both care deeply about the work of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is being nominated as president of the SBC, and in this episode, he shares about his journey, his motives, and what they are both most excited about in Baptist work.

Studies from the Barna Group and Lifeway Research show that 70–75% of Christian youth disengage from their faith and church after high school. In light of this, it feels like an important question to consider whether they will attend a college that will make living a life of faith easier or more challenging. Join Pastor D.J. Horton as he talks with Dr. Evans Whitaker, the twelfth president of Anderson University. Dr. Whitaker has a heart for Christian higher education, and he received the Order of the Palmetto from Governor Henry McMaster—South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, presented to those who demonstrate extraordinary life achievement, service, and contributions of national or statewide significance. Listen in as he shares why college is so much more than just producing graduates; it’s producing professionals of depth and great character.

What is true success in this life? If it’s something that forever feels just out of reach in your own life, don’t miss this conversation that Pastor D.J. Horton has with Clyde Christensen, the current associate head football coach at Appalachian State, who has also coached the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Marvin Harrison, and Jameis Winston during his nearly 50-year career. Adopted after being born to an unwed teen mom, Clyde would never say that he’s a man who has “made it” because he coached in the NFL. Success for him has always been connected to helping people grow, trusting the Lord, doing his best at his work, and finding joy wherever God leads him. Where God has you today matters. Are you making the most of it?