Benjamin Vrbicek, Lead Teaching Pastor at Community Evangelical Free Church, Managing Editor for Gospel-Centered Discipleship, and Author of Don’t Just Send a Resume: How to Find the Right Job in a Local Church, joined Brian and Aubrey to chat about his book, Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World and his recent Gospel Coalition article, “When My Church Was Washed with Butter.”  

Learn more about Benjamin and his books at his blog, benjaminvrbicek.com

Benjamin Vrbicek, Lead Teaching Pastor at <a href="https://www.communityfreechurch.org/">Community Evangelical Free Church</a>, Managing Editor for <a href="https://gcdiscipleship.com/">Gospel-Centered Discipleship</a>, and Author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Just-Send-Resume-Church/dp/0997570237">Don&rsquo;t Just Send a Resume: How to Find the Right Job in a Local Church</a>, joined Brian and Aubrey to chat about his book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blogging-Gods-Glory-Clickbait-World/dp/1734849428">Blogging for God&rsquo;s Glory in a Clickbait World</a> and his recent Gospel Coalition article, <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/when-church-washed-butter/">&ldquo;When My Church Was Washed with Butter.&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
Learn more about Benjamin and his books at his blog, <a href="https://benjaminvrbicek.com/">benjaminvrbicek.com</a>

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

Guest: Benjamin Vrbicek, Lead Teaching Pastor of Community Evangelical Free Church, Managing Editor for Gospel-Centered Discipleship, and Author of "Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World" - March 4, 2021

Artificial intelligence is everywhere — and so are the big questions surrounding it. Is AI going to save the world, or destroy it? And what does any of it mean for people of faith?

In this episode, Brian From sits down with Emily Tsiao, a writer for Focus on the Family's Plugged In, to unpack the ethical and theological dimensions of AI. They dig into her recent article Reflecting on the AI Doc, or How I Didn't Change My Mind About Apocalypticism — a response to a documentary featuring conversations with the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic — and why Emily's core takeaway remains the same: God is still in control.

Emily walks through the practical questions too — using AI for creative work, the ethics of AI-generated content, what it means for learning and education, and why letting a machine speak for you might cost you more than you realize.

Whether you're an everyday ChatGPT user or just trying to figure out what to think, this conversation is a grounded, thoughtful place to start.

Find more of Emily's work at PluggedIn.com.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere &mdash; and so are the big questions surrounding it. Is AI going to save the world, or destroy it? And what does any of it mean for people of faith?
In this episode, Brian From sits down with Emily Tsiao, a writer for Focus on the Family's Plugged In, to unpack the ethical and theological dimensions of AI. They dig into her recent article Reflecting on the AI Doc, or How I Didn't Change My Mind About Apocalypticism &mdash; a response to a documentary featuring conversations with the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic &mdash; and why Emily's core takeaway remains the same: God is still in control.
Emily walks through the practical questions too &mdash; using AI for creative work, the ethics of AI-generated content, what it means for learning and education, and why letting a machine speak for you might cost you more than you realize.
Whether you're an everyday ChatGPT user or just trying to figure out what to think, this conversation is a grounded, thoughtful place to start.
Find more of Emily's work at PluggedIn.com.

A Christian Perspective on Artificial Intelligence with Emily Tsaio

So many parents are grieving quietly — watching adult children pull away, questioning where things went wrong, and wondering if the relationship can be restored. In this episode, Brian From sits down with Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids and author of Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children, to unpack one of the most painful challenges facing families today.

Dr. Kathy shares practical wisdom on healthy communication with adult kids, how to navigate the tricky intersection of financial support and emotional distance, and what parents can do when a child walks away from their faith. She also offers an honest look at the role over-involved parenting can play — and what it looks like to parent differently in this new season.

If you're exhausted, heartbroken, or just unsure where to begin — this conversation is for you. There is still hope.

Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children is available now through Moody Publishers. Learn more about Dr. Kathy Koch's ministry at CelebrateKids.com.

So many parents are grieving quietly &mdash; watching adult children pull away, questioning where things went wrong, and wondering if the relationship can be restored. In this episode, Brian From sits down with Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids and author of Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children, to unpack one of the most painful challenges facing families today.
Dr. Kathy shares practical wisdom on healthy communication with adult kids, how to navigate the tricky intersection of financial support and emotional distance, and what parents can do when a child walks away from their faith. She also offers an honest look at the role over-involved parenting can play &mdash; and what it looks like to parent differently in this new season.
If you're exhausted, heartbroken, or just unsure where to begin &mdash; this conversation is for you. There is still hope.
Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children is available now through Moody Publishers. Learn more about Dr. Kathy Koch's ministry at CelebrateKids.com.

Releasing Your Adult Kids: Dr. Kathy Koch on Conflict, Faith, and Family Restoration

Do you ever feel ordinary? Like you're just not the kind of person God uses for big things? In this episode, Brian From digs into one of the most overlooked verses in the New Testament — James's reminder that Elijah was "just a human being, like us" — and unpacks what it means that God chooses to do extraordinary things through completely ordinary people.

From there, Brian turns to one of Scripture's most sobering passages: Jesus's letter to the church in Laodicea. Wealthy, self-sufficient, and spiritually lukewarm — sound familiar? Brian draws a pointed parallel to the American church today and asks the uncomfortable question: are we the church in Laodicea?

Along the way, Brian also explores Russell Moore's provocative idea of the "casinofication" of the church, a striking new study on the rise of "no contact" relationships in America, a genuinely murky ethical question about a family using an AI clone to shield an elderly mother from the death of her son, and why a Relevant Magazine piece about new Christians and microphones might be the most important thing the church needs to hear right now.

And he closes with a surprising strategy for finishing well as a Christian — one you probably won't see coming.

Do you ever feel ordinary? Like you're just not the kind of person God uses for big things? In this episode, Brian From digs into one of the most overlooked verses in the New Testament &mdash; James's reminder that Elijah was "just a human being, like us" &mdash; and unpacks what it means that God chooses to do extraordinary things through completely ordinary people.
From there, Brian turns to one of Scripture's most sobering passages: Jesus's letter to the church in Laodicea. Wealthy, self-sufficient, and spiritually lukewarm &mdash; sound familiar? Brian draws a pointed parallel to the American church today and asks the uncomfortable question: are we the church in Laodicea?
Along the way, Brian also explores Russell Moore's provocative idea of the "casinofication" of the church, a striking new study on the rise of "no contact" relationships in America, a genuinely murky ethical question about a family using an AI clone to shield an elderly mother from the death of her son, and why a Relevant Magazine piece about new Christians and microphones might be the most important thing the church needs to hear right now.
And he closes with a surprising strategy for finishing well as a Christian &mdash; one you probably won't see coming.

Guest: Benjamin Vrbicek, Lead Teaching Pastor of Community Evangelical Free Church, Managing Editor for Gospel-Centered Discipleship, and Author of "Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World" - March 4, 2021

The Common Good

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