Suanne interviews Jennifer Johnson Jordan, former professional beach volleyball player, Olympian and current head women's beach coach at UCLA. They discuss Jenny's journey as an athlete, her experience as an Olympian and her transition into coaching. Jenny's shares how her faith influences her coaching style and the importance of caring for the whole person. They also spend some time discussing the pressures and challenges faced by young athletes and their parents, as well as the responsibility coaches have at all levels to build up -- and not tear down-- the athletes under their care.

Jenny also shares her thoughts on the evolving landscape of women's sports and the importance of supporting and promoting female athletes. She reflects on the humility and impact of her father, Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson, and the lessons she has learned from him. Finally, she discusses her own journey as a head coach and the deeper reliance on God and trust in His plans that it has required.

Ever wonder if your everyday, ordinary life actually matters? If long obedience in the same direction really does pay off? If showing up for worship or for people who are suffering -- even when you don't feel like it or know exactly what to say or do--is the right thing?

Drew Dyck joins the podcast to discuss his book Just Show Up: How Small Acts of Faithfulness Change Everything. In this episode, Drew and Suanne cover everything from Drew's midlife crisis to the spiritual idea of plodding to how faithfulness in the small things is often more important than pursuing even our biggest dreams. Drew also shares why it's important to show up in person, how to set boundaries and extend grace when being present isn't possible, and gives listeners a special encouragement to put the screens away and pay attention to the people God has put in their paths.

Learn more about Drew and all of his books at drewdyck.com

So let’s be honest. Doing a podcast about something as politically charged and divisive as critical race theory feels a bit risky. But it’s also the reason conversations like this one with Ed Uszynski, author of Untangling Critical Race Theory: What Christians Need to Know and Why It Matters, are so important. As people who are doing our best to follow Jesus in a complex world, we need safe spaces to explore and understand complicated ideas without having them hijacked by media pundits or 30-second sound bites.

When I first prepped for this episode, my idea was to do a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of CRT (which, btw, Ed spends 7 chapters unpacking in the book. I learned a TON about it’s origins, what it does and doesn’t mean and why it matters to the church), but as with any podcast, conversations have a way of taking on a life of their own. While Ed and I do talk about critical race theory, what we spend more time talking about is some of the broader questions it causes us to consider like our country’s racial history, systemic v. individual racism, our own defensiveness in conversations about race, cross cultural competency, ethnic indifference and the importance of listening and learning from those who are different from us.

Ed has been a trusted friend and voice in my life for more than 20 years. You’ll hear that in the podcast, but you’ll also hear how God has been weaving together his own story in a way that has uniquely prepared him for such a time as this. No matter where you find yourself in your own journey, I hope you’ll listen in as we continue to learn and grow together.