Brian welcomes back former co-host Ian Simkins, now lead pastor of The Bridge in Tennessee, to discuss his new book, Every Table and Altar: Reclaiming Connection in a World of Division, Distraction, and Loneliness. Ian shares how the book grew out of his church's own journey — after moving to town, six months of listening to people revealed three recurring themes (division, distraction, and loneliness) that became the book's subtitle and his church's new vision, centered around the image of the table. He and Brian discuss a striking statistic showing a 70% decline in Americans hosting people in their homes since 1975, and Ian reflects on research showing even a face-down phone on the table reduces genuine connection. He offers practical encouragement for the lonely or divided — starting small, accepting the discomfort of new relationships like the discomfort of a first gym workout, and shifting from "being interesting" to "being interested" — while also addressing the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation when it comes to healthy relational boundaries. The two close with a lighthearted callback to their old "venting" segment, riffing on bad parking and turn signals.

Brian welcomes back former co-host Ian Simkins, now lead pastor of The Bridge in Tennessee, to discuss his new book, Every Table and Altar: Reclaiming Connection in a World of Division, Distraction, and Loneliness. Ian shares how the book grew out of his church's own journey &mdash; after moving to town, six months of listening to people revealed three recurring themes (division, distraction, and loneliness) that became the book's subtitle and his church's new vision, centered around the image of the table. He and Brian discuss a striking statistic showing a 70% decline in Americans hosting people in their homes since 1975, and Ian reflects on research showing even a face-down phone on the table reduces genuine connection. He offers practical encouragement for the lonely or divided &mdash; starting small, accepting the discomfort of new relationships like the discomfort of a first gym workout, and shifting from "being interesting" to "being interested" &mdash; while also addressing the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation when it comes to healthy relational boundaries. The two close with a lighthearted callback to their old "venting" segment, riffing on bad parking and turn signals.

The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God’s design for all of us fulfilled.

The idea of &ldquo;the common good&rdquo; has a rich history within the Christian church. It&rsquo;s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God&rsquo;s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God&rsquo;s design for all of us fulfilled.