We recap the year that was and count down our top 10 storylines, touching on topics such as Charlie Kirk, Israel, the new pope, youth culture (6-7!), sports betting, and more.

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Join us at focuspress.org/plus to catch the exclusive Deep End episode each week.

Check out our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com

And, join our mailing lists at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

We discuss the hot controversy regarding whether parents should tell their kids about Santa Claus.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro, and why we're doing an episode on the topic
05:30 - History of St. Nicholas and Santa Claus
08:52 - Is it a lie?
27:32 - Taking it too far: making Santa God, and manipulating behavior
37:40 - Taking it too far: parents overdoing it
49:16 - Romans 14 and disagreeing charitably

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Visit our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com
Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.com

"We don't go to church, we ARE the church."

Well, kind of. On this episode, the crew discusses whether the church is the people who go there, the institution, or something in between.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introducing the question
06:58 - Is the church just the people?
11:32 - "It's not an organization, it's an organism" - true or false?
16:25 - The church requires purpose
31:25 - The community church to Catholic church pendulum
36:54 - The house church question
42:22 - When church leadership goes wrong, and when to leave a church
50:04 - When the members go wrong, and what leadership should do
55:17 - Think Fast: Is it lying to tell your kids Santa is real?

Visit our sponsors at cobbpublishing.com

Check us out at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.com

Join us for the exclusive Deep End episode each week by going to focuspress.org/plus

It's suddenly a hot debate as to whether it's wrong for parents to tell their kids Santa Claus is real. In this Think Fast, we give our takes and discuss why it's a controversy when it seemingly wasn't before.

Tune in on Monday for the full episode, 'What is the Church?'

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

focuspress.org

jackwilkie.co

Joe and Will interview Jack about his new book, You Are Saved: The Christian's Assurance.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro and announcing Jack's book
05:05 - Why write a book on assurance of salvation?
13:00 - The problem of legalism
20:24 - How lacking assurance keeps us from spiritual maturity
26:10 - Why focusing on doctrinal differences keeps us insecure
35:32 - The problem of overreacting to "faith alone" and cheap grace
41:34 - Do we have a "personal relationship" with God? Does the Holy Spirit indwell us?
45:28 - How can we avoid having a false assurance?
55:40 - Why is rebaptism so common in the churches of Christ?

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Get You Are Saved at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MgpGt7
or Focus Press: https://www.focuspress.org/shop

Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com
Join us for the exclusive "Deep End" episode each week at focuspress.org/plus

It's our 200th episode! We got together for a wide-ranging discussion across the spectrum of personal, spiritual, work, and more.

Topics include:

- Best marriage improvement books
- Most impactful books
- Christians and Harry Potter
- Where the feminist movement stands today
- Avoiding hypocrisy in leadership
- The proper place of sports, movies, and other hobbies
- Finding time for silence
- The importance of financial discipline
- What Joe would change about therapy world
- Navigating family boundaries, holiday edition
- Dealing with church hurt without becoming bitter
- Trying to impact the church for good
- Avoiding workaholism

Questions for you:
- Which holiday is the best?
- What are your thoughts on Christians and Harry Potter?
- Who is the face of feminism today?
- Any tips for families and in-laws to navigate the holidays?

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com
Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

Pick up Jack's new book 'You Are Saved' at Amazon or Focus Press!

Are we doing enough to protect our children from abuse in the church? What about preventing and handling harassment among adults? On this week's Think Deeper, we discuss the alarming statistics surrounding sexual abuse and the crucial steps we must take to safeguard our congregations.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introductory thoughts and the reason for this episode
08:27 - Statistics and the scope of the problem
14:25 - Dealing with repentant offenders
21:50 - The responsibilities of church leaders
27:31 - Generational differences in approaches
34:22 - Youth ministry issues
44:58 - Taking precautions without viewing everyone as a threat
49:13 - Thoughts for victims

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Visit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com

"Hellfire and Brimstone" preaching is often thought of as a relic of Sundays gone by... but should it be? Have we overcorrected and begun to under-emphasize hell? We discuss

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introductory thoughts
05:40 - Biblical terms for afterlife (Hades, Sheol) and punishment (Gehenna, Tartarus)
13:48 - Jesus' words on hell
20:28 - God's nature and punishment
29:40 - Hell in the epistles
35:39 - Consequences of over-emphasizing hell
45:47 - Consequences of under-emphasizing hell
55:09 - Does God send people to hell, or just let them choose it?

Episodes mentioned:

• What Happens When We Die? (October 16, 2023)

• Are There Degrees of Heaven and Hell? (May 29, 2025)

With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie

Visit our sponsor at cobbpublishing.com
Check us out at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.com
And, join us for the exclusive Deep End episode by becoming a supporter at focuspress.org/plus