Back to school season is just around the corner, and Brian From sits down with Julie Messina, principal of St. Peter Lutheran School in Schaumburg, Illinois — a school that has been educating families for 189 years and sits on 30 acres in the middle of the suburbs. Julie talks about what makes a private Lutheran school distinctive: daily prayer, weekly chapel, classroom buddy programs pairing older and younger students, and class sizes averaging around ten students per teacher. She pushes back on the assumption that private Christian schools offer less than public schools — St. Peter has Lego club, chess club, cross country, volleyball, basketball, cheer and dance — and shares what alumni consistently say when they come back: "High school was a breeze. You prepared us so well." Brian also highlights the school voucher program available through AM1160 at elevensixtyhope.com for families concerned about tuition, and Julie points to the Kirsch Flat scholarship fund — supported by an annual golf outing — for additional financial assistance. Visit stpeterlcms.org to schedule a tour or learn more.

Back to school season is just around the corner, and Brian From sits down with Julie Messina, principal of St. Peter Lutheran School in Schaumburg, Illinois &mdash; a school that has been educating families for 189 years and sits on 30 acres in the middle of the suburbs. Julie talks about what makes a private Lutheran school distinctive: daily prayer, weekly chapel, classroom buddy programs pairing older and younger students, and class sizes averaging around ten students per teacher. She pushes back on the assumption that private Christian schools offer less than public schools &mdash; St. Peter has Lego club, chess club, cross country, volleyball, basketball, cheer and dance &mdash; and shares what alumni consistently say when they come back: "High school was a breeze. You prepared us so well." Brian also highlights the school voucher program available through AM1160 at elevensixtyhope.com for families concerned about tuition, and Julie points to the Kirsch Flat scholarship fund &mdash; supported by an annual golf outing &mdash; for additional financial assistance. Visit stpeterlcms.org to schedule a tour or learn more.

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.

The Common Good Podcast

The Common Good

Faith, Community & Small Class Sizes at St. Peter Lutheran School with Julie Messina

Canadian wildfire smoke is blanketing Chicago and stretching all the way to New York, and Brian From turns the haze into a parable: the decisions we make set off domino effects that ripple far beyond us, affecting people we love and people we'll never meet. Then a personal update — his son's summer baseball team won their league championship in what turned out to be the last game before he heads to college, and his daughter returns tomorrow from five weeks of intensive Arabic study in Washington DC before a nine-month Fulbright scholarship in the fall. Life is moving. Last night's ESPYs honored a Michigan missionary who pitched in Major League Baseball — a story about what happens when fame and faith intersect in unexpected ways. A meditation on contentment drawn from Philippians 4 and a Gospel Coalition piece on the abundant life. And a closing sermon preview from Brian's role as campus pastor at Compass Church's Hinsdale location, centered on one of the most obscure and haunting figures in the New Testament: Demas. He's mentioned twice as part of Paul's team — and then disappears, described in 2 Timothy 4 as having "loved the present world" and deserted Paul entirely. Brian's challenge: the goal of the Christian life is not to start well. It's to finish well. Don't be Demas.

Canadian wildfire smoke is blanketing Chicago and stretching all the way to New York, and Brian From turns the haze into a parable: the decisions we make set off domino effects that ripple far beyond us, affecting people we love and people we'll never meet. Then a personal update &mdash; his son's summer baseball team won their league championship in what turned out to be the last game before he heads to college, and his daughter returns tomorrow from five weeks of intensive Arabic study in Washington DC before a nine-month Fulbright scholarship in the fall. Life is moving. Last night's ESPYs honored a Michigan missionary who pitched in Major League Baseball &mdash; a story about what happens when fame and faith intersect in unexpected ways. A meditation on contentment drawn from Philippians 4 and a Gospel Coalition piece on the abundant life. And a closing sermon preview from Brian's role as campus pastor at Compass Church's Hinsdale location, centered on one of the most obscure and haunting figures in the New Testament: Demas. He's mentioned twice as part of Paul's team &mdash; and then disappears, described in 2 Timothy 4 as having "loved the present world" and deserted Paul entirely. Brian's challenge: the goal of the Christian life is not to start well. It's to finish well. Don't be Demas.

Wildfires, the ESPYs & Finishing the Race Well

It's a hundred degrees outside and your kids are asking what's next — Melissa Paredes, Senior Director of Content Marketing at Wycliffe Bible Translators, has an answer that's actually good for them. She joins Brian From to talk about Kate and Mac, a free series of printable, downloadable resources Wycliffe has been producing for twelve years: kids travel the world with a 14-year-old missionary kid named Kate and her pet macaw Mac, learning about different languages, cultures, and how much God loves people regardless of where they live or what language they speak. Activities include decoding exercises that simulate what it's like to encounter scripture in a new language, games, crafts, recipes, and devotionals — all available monthly at wycliffe.org/kids. Melissa also shares her own story: a missionary kid who moved overseas at 12 and lived there through 18, she credits those cross-cultural years with shaping everything about her worldview. For parents of teens and young adults, Wycliffe's Purpose 7-9 resource — including an interactive quiz, devotional, and discussion guide — is available at wycliffe.org/purpose.

It's a hundred degrees outside and your kids are asking what's next &mdash; Melissa Paredes, Senior Director of Content Marketing at Wycliffe Bible Translators, has an answer that's actually good for them. She joins Brian From to talk about Kate and Mac, a free series of printable, downloadable resources Wycliffe has been producing for twelve years: kids travel the world with a 14-year-old missionary kid named Kate and her pet macaw Mac, learning about different languages, cultures, and how much God loves people regardless of where they live or what language they speak. Activities include decoding exercises that simulate what it's like to encounter scripture in a new language, games, crafts, recipes, and devotionals &mdash; all available monthly at wycliffe.org/kids. Melissa also shares her own story: a missionary kid who moved overseas at 12 and lived there through 18, she credits those cross-cultural years with shaping everything about her worldview. For parents of teens and young adults, Wycliffe's Purpose 7-9 resource &mdash; including an interactive quiz, devotional, and discussion guide &mdash; is available at wycliffe.org/purpose.

Summer Activities & Bible Translation with Melissa Paredes of Wycliffe

What does it mean for the gospel to be functionally central — not just theologically true in the abstract, but actually animating the way a pastor preaches, thinks, and lives? Mike Bullmore, author of The Heart of Preaching: The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life and Work of the Preacher, joins Brian From to answer that question. A veteran pastor who planted Crossway Community Church 28 years ago and now preaches at Park Community Church in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, Mike makes a simple but convicting diagnosis: the moment a preacher reserves gospel proclamation only for evangelistic sermons and then shifts to discipleship content for believers, he's already gone off course. The gospel isn't just the entry point — it's the flywheel that keeps everything else moving. He also speaks directly to the pastor who has quietly grown apathetic, lost the awe, and is grinding through sermons on fumes — with a word from Psalm 103 about God's compassion and a surprisingly practical prescription involving the Gospel of Mark and the book of Leviticus. Find The Heart of Preaching at Amazon or crossway.org.

What does it mean for the gospel to be functionally central &mdash; not just theologically true in the abstract, but actually animating the way a pastor preaches, thinks, and lives? Mike Bullmore, author of The Heart of Preaching: The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life and Work of the Preacher, joins Brian From to answer that question. A veteran pastor who planted Crossway Community Church 28 years ago and now preaches at Park Community Church in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, Mike makes a simple but convicting diagnosis: the moment a preacher reserves gospel proclamation only for evangelistic sermons and then shifts to discipleship content for believers, he's already gone off course. The gospel isn't just the entry point &mdash; it's the flywheel that keeps everything else moving. He also speaks directly to the pastor who has quietly grown apathetic, lost the awe, and is grinding through sermons on fumes &mdash; with a word from Psalm 103 about God's compassion and a surprisingly practical prescription involving the Gospel of Mark and the book of Leviticus. Find The Heart of Preaching at Amazon or crossway.org.

Faith, Community & Small Class Sizes at St. Peter Lutheran School with Julie Messina

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