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

The Knicks came back from 29 down in the NBA Finals, and Brian From turns it into the question of the hour: how do you keep going when every circumstance is telling you to quit? That thread runs all the way to the close, where Relevant Magazine asks what to do when God feels like He's ignoring you — when the pregnancy announcement belongs to someone else, the promotion went to the person you're training, and the calling you've been waiting for landed on someone you discipled. God doesn't ignore His children. Delay isn't neglect. But that's easier to say than to hold. Then: Gen Z doesn't want to be called Protestant — they want to be called just Christian, and there's something worth affirming and something worth being cautious about in that shift. The Southern Baptist Convention's Truth and Unity Amendment passes with 74% of the vote, and what it says about the direction the denomination is heading. JD Greear weighs in on spontaneous baptisms — and makes the case that every single baptism in the New Testament was spontaneous. Does character still matter in our politicians? Brian says yes, and makes the uncomfortable point that it only counts if you apply the standard to your own party too. The historical evidence for Jesus outside the Bible is stronger than most Christians realize. And a word for anyone who's been quietly treating unanswered prayer as evidence of insufficient faith: that's not what the Bible teaches.

The Knicks came back from 29 down in the NBA Finals, and Brian From turns it into the question of the hour: how do you keep going when every circumstance is telling you to quit? That thread runs all the way to the close, where Relevant Magazine asks what to do when God feels like He's ignoring you &mdash; when the pregnancy announcement belongs to someone else, the promotion went to the person you're training, and the calling you've been waiting for landed on someone you discipled. God doesn't ignore His children. Delay isn't neglect. But that's easier to say than to hold. Then: Gen Z doesn't want to be called Protestant &mdash; they want to be called just Christian, and there's something worth affirming and something worth being cautious about in that shift. The Southern Baptist Convention's Truth and Unity Amendment passes with 74% of the vote, and what it says about the direction the denomination is heading. JD Greear weighs in on spontaneous baptisms &mdash; and makes the case that every single baptism in the New Testament was spontaneous. Does character still matter in our politicians? Brian says yes, and makes the uncomfortable point that it only counts if you apply the standard to your own party too. The historical evidence for Jesus outside the Bible is stronger than most Christians realize. And a word for anyone who's been quietly treating unanswered prayer as evidence of insufficient faith: that's not what the Bible teaches.

What Do You Do When God Feels Silent?

Steven Spielberg has made five movies about aliens, and his newest — Disclosure Day — might be his most theologically provocative yet. Adam Holtz from Plugged In joins Brian From to break down a film where Emily Blunt plays a TV reporter chosen by extraterrestrials as their mouthpiece, a government whistleblower is on the run, and two nuns grapple with what alien contact would mean for their faith. Spielberg has been openly asking the question: if it were proven that aliens exist and the government has known, what would that do to your belief system? Adam also flags an interesting Gospel Coalition piece arguing the whole film tracks the Exodus narrative — Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, parting of the Red Sea — which makes sense given Spielberg's Jewish faith. Then a quick look at Among Us, the popular video game now turned into an animated murder mystery on Paramount Plus starring Elijah Wood. Full reviews at pluggedin.com. Also: Adam and Brian discover they've officially become their parents, and somehow their small group conversations are now mostly about what hurts.

Steven Spielberg has made five movies about aliens, and his newest &mdash; Disclosure Day &mdash; might be his most theologically provocative yet. Adam Holtz from Plugged In joins Brian From to break down a film where Emily Blunt plays a TV reporter chosen by extraterrestrials as their mouthpiece, a government whistleblower is on the run, and two nuns grapple with what alien contact would mean for their faith. Spielberg has been openly asking the question: if it were proven that aliens exist and the government has known, what would that do to your belief system? Adam also flags an interesting Gospel Coalition piece arguing the whole film tracks the Exodus narrative &mdash; Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, parting of the Red Sea &mdash; which makes sense given Spielberg's Jewish faith. Then a quick look at Among Us, the popular video game now turned into an animated murder mystery on Paramount Plus starring Elijah Wood. Full reviews at pluggedin.com. Also: Adam and Brian discover they've officially become their parents, and somehow their small group conversations are now mostly about what hurts.

Disclosure Day & Among Us with Adam Holtz of Plugged In

When someone you love is hurting, the worst thing you can do is blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Brian From opens up about a well-meaning woman at church who told his grieving wife she'd forget their miscarriage once they had kids — and builds from there into four genuinely helpful ways to walk alongside a sufferer: be present, listen, weep, and encourage. Then: how accessible should your pastor actually be, and what does it mean when meeting with him is advertised as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for donors? Beth Moore admits her generation did the next one a disservice by making platform ministry look easy. Erwin McManus asks an uncomfortable question — what happens when the people trying to heal the world are quietly falling apart themselves? The "I am the resurrection and the life" declaration from John 11, and why Martha's confession in the middle of her grief is one of the most important moments in all of scripture. Why time seems to speed up as we get older, and what neuroscience suggests might slow it down. Paul Skines stopped his car at a Little League practice and stayed for two hours. And JD Greear on the Jesus most of us grew up with versus the one John saw in Revelation — and why suffering people don't need a warm blanket Jesus. They need the one who holds the stars.

When someone you love is hurting, the worst thing you can do is blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Brian From opens up about a well-meaning woman at church who told his grieving wife she'd forget their miscarriage once they had kids &mdash; and builds from there into four genuinely helpful ways to walk alongside a sufferer: be present, listen, weep, and encourage. Then: how accessible should your pastor actually be, and what does it mean when meeting with him is advertised as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for donors? Beth Moore admits her generation did the next one a disservice by making platform ministry look easy. Erwin McManus asks an uncomfortable question &mdash; what happens when the people trying to heal the world are quietly falling apart themselves? The "I am the resurrection and the life" declaration from John 11, and why Martha's confession in the middle of her grief is one of the most important moments in all of scripture. Why time seems to speed up as we get older, and what neuroscience suggests might slow it down. Paul Skines stopped his car at a Little League practice and stayed for two hours. And JD Greear on the Jesus most of us grew up with versus the one John saw in Revelation &mdash; and why suffering people don't need a warm blanket Jesus. They need the one who holds the stars.

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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