Brian talks with Dr. Heather Holleman, Penn State writing professor and author, about the final book in her middle-grade series, This Seat Is Yours, which follows a seventh-grade girl discovering her identity as "seated with Christ" from Ephesians 2:6. Heather discusses the decline of pleasure reading among middle schoolers amid short-form media and AI book summaries, and why fiction remains a powerful tool for mental, emotional, and spiritual development. She walks through the series' arc — rejection, jealousy, popularity, and purpose — and explains the "seated and sent" framework she and her husband use to help both kids and adults move from comparison and anxiety into a settled identity in Christ that overflows into blessing others.

Brian talks with Dr. Heather Holleman, Penn State writing professor and author, about the final book in her middle-grade series, This Seat Is Yours, which follows a seventh-grade girl discovering her identity as "seated with Christ" from Ephesians 2:6. Heather discusses the decline of pleasure reading among middle schoolers amid short-form media and AI book summaries, and why fiction remains a powerful tool for mental, emotional, and spiritual development. She walks through the series' arc &mdash; rejection, jealousy, popularity, and purpose &mdash; and explains the "seated and sent" framework she and her husband use to help both kids and adults move from comparison and anxiety into a settled identity in Christ that overflows into blessing others.

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.