“Samwise Gamgee, my dear hobbit –indeed, Sam my dearest hobbit, friend of friends.”

There's something spectacularly lovely about a true friend.

A friend who loves what you love, who understands your deep longings, and who helps you see the things that are truly beautiful --even in the midst of brokenness.

A friendship like that is a gift from God.

Since the dawn of sin, friendships have been broken. All relationships are fraught and sometimes the obstacles to meaningful friendships can feel insurmountable.

Tune in as we think through a Biblical definition for friendship, consider how we are designed for friendship, and then chat through a few practicalities.

As parents we all long for our kids to “turn out right.”

We want them to grow up to be kind, thoughtful, well adjusted and successful adults. And most of us, as Christians, are desperate for our kids to know the Lord.

But how does the sovereignty of God factor into all of that? Does my parenting even matter?

The biblical view of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in parenting –as in the rest of life –is freeing, empowering, encouraging, and glorious.

Tune in as Jason Seville, pastor at Del Ray Baptist Church and father to five, helps us to unpack the paradox of sovereignty and human agency.

We can be encouraged that when we are faithful to parent our children according to Scripture, that directly brings a blessing upon our children in ways we may not even fully understand because God is sovereign and he gave us Scripture for our good.

Are Patriotism and Christianity Compatible? Is it okay to say "I'm proud to be an American?" How about politics? What does it look like to engage advocacy and activism as Christians?

The presidential election in the United States is in full swing and it's an interesting election for sure. But as Christians, we must be careful to rightly order our allegiance and our passions without being cynical.

Listen in for a conversation with James Nelson (J.D. Harvard Law 2016) about how to care for the good of our country, government, and neighbors while keeping our ultimate allegiance to the glory of God and advance of his kingdom front and center.